Tango
by Jai Rose
Summary: [REWRITTEN] Daniella Fenton is a girl and a human. Daniel Phantom is a boy and a ghost. It is such a shame no one told them that, together, they shouldn't exist. Especially as one Halfa. And the world they have been forced into will change them. AU. (Also maybe be turning into a VladXDanni thing. Perhaps. In the sequel)
1. It Takes Two to Tango

_Disclaimer: If I owned Danny Phantom, you would know. Believe me. You would know._

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><p>Hello everyone!<p>

I am pleased to announce that after almost a year of re-writting, I have finally finished re-writing this story! Which means, soon enough, this will be the only version available. I will be taking down the story "Tango: A Rewrite" because of the rules of THE MAN (didn't know you couldn't actually put the site name in your story... hmmm), before the second month of the new year, of 2015. It also means that FoxTrot, the sequel, will be up, re-written, and posted sometime in the new year. It is still up as the original, but it will change. Very much.

Please, enjoy this story at the very least. And thank you all for the wonderful support!

**Warnings**: Language, Abuse (Parental neglect), Violence, I guess kind of gender-bender?, AU

_**Summary**_: Daniella Fenton is a girl and a human. Daniel Phantom is a boy and a ghost. It is such a shame no one told them that, together, they shouldn't exist. Especially as one Halfa. And the world they have been forced into will change them.

The question is - For the better?

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><p>"WORD" - Normal speech.<p>

:_WORD_: - Mind-Speak between Danni and Phantom

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><p><strong>It Takes Two to Tango<strong>

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><p><em>:Do you think one day we'll be happy?:<em> I ask.

_:We have forever.:_ He said. _:If **we** can't find happiness, then nobody shall be able to.:_

**-~DP~-**

It was after school, on a Tuesday I think.

I honestly wouldn't know anymore.

The days all jumble together in a never ending blur. Monday's and Friday's only separate by my thought of - "Do I wake up tomorrow at noon or seven?"

Days of the week were isolated only by importance and numbers. Easter. The fourth. Test today on the 17th. Out of food the 6th.

Today held no significance. Simply was, like so many of the 365 days of the year were. A day. Filled with the usual drivel. Breakfast, school, lunch, the occasional being bullied, back home. Today with the actual bulling.

_:He is an imbecile,:_ The voice inside my mind said.:_An __**infidel**__. He should be __bowing__ to you, not... not chasing your __**tail**__ and treating you like __**trash**__.:_

_:I know, Phantom:_ I thought, uselessly, because when the voice of Danny Phantom gets going, it gets _going_. It was one of his more endearing qualities.

_:No! You do not._: Phantom, he preferred that name seeing as we shared the same phonetically name, seethed. _:He runs around town as if he is the __**alpha dog**__ and he is not. Him thinking that is... is... is __**unacceptable**__.:_

"Phantom." I said, rubbing a hand against my face with an exhausted twinge. "It happens."

:_It should not._:

_:I know.:_

He saw that my usual weak points were not such today and went for another tactic, one he liked every much.

_:We have the powers to make him pay for his-:_

"I **said** no, Phantom."

The presence faded somewhat and I immediately felt sorry for snapping. He was just angry on my behalf. It wasn't like he was joining in on the taunting that I had endured for most of my teenage girl existence. He cared, where others had not.

"Phantom," I called softly, into thin air. No answer. "It's no big deal. Humans, Phantom. It's just what they do. Mostly the guy population, sure but – you should know _this_."

:_Just because I was a guy once does not mean I understand __**neanderthal**__._:He retorted with a sniff, and I had the mental image of him, decked out in his dark, dark black suit and his ghost white hair pointing his nose clear into the air and sniffing daintily. He had the cheekbones to pull it off.

He had a _grin_ to his voice as he retorted, :_I saw that.:_

I managed a small smile as I lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling pattered with glow-in-the-dark stars and moons. Towards the sky that was being blocked by the human invention to keep the rain at bay. Something that I was grateful of, but I kind of wanted to see the sun and the clouds right now.

:_Danni_,: My name, spoken with such care that it should be impossible for a **ghost**, let alone Phantom to make it sound so sincere. _:This __**should not **__be normal. You are not merely a human anymore. We are... we are not human nor ghost anymore.: _

_:Oh yes, wise Phantom?:_ I chuckled sardonically, we'd had this conversation a few times. Never like this though. :_Just because you and I share noggin space and have agreed to get along for the indefinite future - doesn't mean I am any less human than I was.:_

Phantom scoffed.

_:You have me. I bow to no one, except you. No human can boast that.: _

Something warmed in my closed off heart, like it was known to do when Phantom said such things. A sweet heart was what he was.

To me, anyway.

_:So I will not __**allow**__ you that cursed title.:_

He was so protective, it hadn't taken me long to figure out what his 'ghost obsession' as my parents liked it call it, was. Anything he considered _his_ was good enough to be kept under lock and key, hugged and polished, kept safe. Coo'd at on occasion, too. Which had clued me in, when Phantom and I had first been tossed together, into understanding he meant me no harm. Well, at least, the voice inside my head didn't mean me ill, at the very least.

He also was prone to running away, but that was a protective measure in and of itself. If you didn't have the strength to protect it, then you ran with it. Simple logic. Even if the first few times he high-jacked my body and flew the scene faster than a speeding bullet, leaving me petrified that he would continue to do so even when we were not in danger.

Yet, he did not. He **promised** he would not. And I believed him.

Phantom knew of danger intimately. Mostly because the Ghost Zone, the home world of the ghosts, was a dangerous place. For those Marked, slightly safer. Since Phantom had managed to stay unMarked his entire existence – there was no one better than him to run away with.

I was glad, as a Halfa, we were exempt from the rules of Marking.

It was a brutish business I would rather not think of. Which made two unthinkable subjects. The accident and the Ghost King's Mark.

_:Thank you,:_ I said, instead of just allowing the moment to pass, like I could have. I opened back up the connection we both had and allowed the sensory detail to come back. His thoughts and his mind opened up to me just like mine did in turn. Like hands clasping or a pen cap being slotted back to its' rightful place on the pen.

I breathed a sigh of relief that I had been holding in since I had shut Phantom out almost six hours ago. Phantom echoed the sentiment by snuggling up deeper inside out conjoined mind space. Inside our Core. Meeting me in the middle. Contentment, joy, and just plain Phantom all came rushing to greet me. Like a puppy.

He now felt just what I felt. And vice versa.

As scary as that was.

Having someone in your most intimate thoughts had been trying at first, but we had gotten better at it. We thought. Occasionally we snapped at each other and had our share of fits and fights, but those times were getting fewer and fewer in between. It was hard to stay angry at someone who knew exactly **which** buttons had been pressed and **exactly** how to apologize. The most I could manage now-a-days was denial.

Which was amusing to us both because even though we shared our minds so openly, two separate people stuck together forever, we still were only allowed one body at a time. Mine or Phantom's. Ghost or human. Heart beat or a being of cold, cold ecto-energy.

Thinking about our situation, and feeling much more calm and collected than a few moments ago, I looked at my hands. The femininity of them surprised me occasionally. When I basked so long in Phantom's mind that I forgot, however momentarily, that I wasn't in fact a guy. I was a girl. A young girl.

We were complete opposites.

I was a young woman; Phantom an old ghost with the body of a young man. I was aged fifteen, but felt so much older with Phantom's knowledge of the last century from his point of view in my head. He was very much an old man, but with my combined youth, didn't show it nearly as much. We'd been working on his slang and speech over the past few weeks. He still sounded like a man from the turn of the century, but was better at hiding it.

I was prone to bouts of complete attention deficit, able to be completely off track in a matter of minutes. He was collected and aware of everything at every moment of the day. With an almost photo-graphic memory.

We were night and day, and really, that helped us get along more than the actual being stuck together part.

But really, how did this all work? My mind always came back to this. Ever since the... _accident_. The one neither of us mentioned.

He was a ghost, and I was a girl – really did I not make it any more obvious than that?

Our relationship we had decided to develop was one of complete cohabitation. At first, I had wanted – and did – call it **parasitic**. Phantom was the one in my head, after all. It was all his fault that we had a problem in the first place. As time moved forward, I realized it was more of a symbiotic relationship. Give and take. We could use each others bodies, and it all depended upon who was the 'driver' at that time. I was more inclined to my own body, as he was with his own, but I had no qualms of actually being Phantom. He didn't much liking being a human, so there was that.

Really the only way I could describe it was that we had a closet of exactly two suits to wear, and with it came a personality for each. You couldn't wear both at the same time, so you had to settle for one or the other.

And that change, between bodies, happened within an eye blink. Phantom to me and back.

There was a crash downstairs and I shuttered my eyes. "Damn it."

My parents were out of the lab.

Hopefully they would stay in the kitchen, merely for food. Hunger keeping them away from their _precious_ experiments.

_:Do you think they just woke up one morning and decided to be complete ass-hats?:_ Phantom asked, pulling himself out of the warm cocoon of our minds and using the 'slang' I had taught him. He was very proud of himself when he did that.

"I think not," I said. "But I **could** be wrong."

_:An act, perhaps?_:

"Let's not go that far, Phantom, buddy old' pal." I snorted. "We both know they aren't _that_ smart."

_:It can not be possible to be that vapid and stunned in mental-growth without some kind of... I don't know... help, right?:_

Phantom did have a point, even if I didn't know what vapid meant. He was still teaching me, too. Just like I was teaching him new 'words'.

"You've been dead and off the human plane for a long time, Phantom," I answered, without actually answering. "You've seen how much things have changed. Is it really so far fetched that they got this way all on their own?"

He hummed in his mental throat – making an awkward but interesting sound of understanding.

I heard the stairs creak and stiffened against the bedspread of rocket-ships. They wouldn't come upstairs, would they?

_They never came upstairs._

I bolted upright as I waited and listened with baited breath.

Feeling sick to my stomach at the thought of them stepping foot into my room with me still inside it, I waited. And waited.

There were muffled voices, which meant they were yelling excitedly. Talking loudly. My heart got caught up in my throat and my eyes glanced towards the old oak outside the window. I could make it, if I jumped. I'd done it before. But the window would be open...

I heard the stairs creak again, more excited babbling.

My stomach churned like I had eaten bad fish.

_:They must've created a new invention.:_

Phantom said it like it was no big deal, while his thoughts tossed and turned like the sea. His emotions fell flat and snarled like an angry polar bear. Same as mine. Except I also was terrified. In the way a cornered mouse was.

The whole city of Amity Park thought my parents were crazy but good people with good intentions. Insane for them, instead of against them. Helpful. Weird, but harmless. With the ghost 'problem' we had, it wasn't a surprise the inventions they created and patented were so useful.

Which was one of the reasons why I hated them.

Even before Phantom had shown up in my life. A different reason for it, before he had gotten his ghostly paws on my mind – sure – but at least it wasn't a far jump from that.

The inventions my parents created were... horrible things.

They were things that looked harmless and everyday. They were cute and slapped with the tag of "Fenton". Al-a-mode as the city liked to say, behind closed doors. And the people, including my parents, who used the stupid horrible devices to trap, capture, or otherwise hurt ghosts – didn't understand that they _were not harmless._

My parents could boast, every day, that the ghosts were not harmed. Only captured. Till they could be released into the ghost zone.

The Fenton Thermos, a device meant to capture ghosts until a time where they could be transported from soup-container to the ghost-portal was anything but nice. And it did not do it's function, correctly. In fact, it was the most **fucked** up mismarketing in the world. Because no ghost survived, **mentally**, any kind of time inside the contraption. Nor did they ever really leave it.

It was a one time deal. A one time death machine.

We, Phantom and I, felt it, too. When we were in close proximity to those that had been touched by the device, or the devices themselves. We felt the death-pangs. We felt the screams.

It grated against our very **souls**.

And there was such an easy fix to the pain caused. So easy it was laughable and so out of reach I had been sicked by the very thought of how in reach it was – but how no one would be able to touch it.

The solution? An apology.

There was a reason why Mediums and the like were so very much loved. They could see the hurt and they could heal it. They were humans who could touch on the ghost plan without actually leaving their own humanity behind. For ghosts, intention was **everything**. They just needed one person to apologize to them, personally.

Which was why I was not able to just apologize for the entirety for the human race and be done with it.

I was a Halfa, now. Half-human and half-ghost.

Ghosts didn't believe my sincerity. Humans just plain didn't listen – mostly because I did not tell them, I wasn't stupid. And no matter how much they both bitch about it - Ghosts and Humans were very much linked. You couldn't have one without the other.

Ghosts came from humans. Humans fed off the energy they gave off – subtly of course. The circle of life included us. All of us.

That was that.

The fact the nobody was listening and the medium population increasingly being called 'nut-jobs' and run out of town, meant that eventually the fallout could be catastrophic. With my parents inventions being created and handed out to the average day citizen like candy, and with the ghosts actually becoming enraged with the blatant fear-mongering – it wouldn't be long until something happened. Something snapped. Or someone.

Namely Pariah Dark. King of the Ghosts.

"They're coming up." I whispered as I heard the stairs creak even more, the steps they were taking coming faster even as they babbled. The words becoming clearer, but still incoherent.

Phantom wasted no time in egging me towards flight. Towards his form, to give over the reigns.

_:Let's go.:_ He pleaded. My parents scared him more than he let on, even if he knew he could run much faster than they could chase.

"Way ahead of you."

And I was. Backpack was over by the door but I walked fast enough that my parents thundering up the stairs only managed three steps before I grabbed it and slung it over my shoulder with practiced ease from years of fast-paced running away.

"Danni!" My father, Jack.

"Ella!" Maddie.

I hurried faster, grabbing my cellphone and tossing it into the bag before getting the straps over my shoulders.

:_Hurry_.: Danny pushed. Way uncomfortable with my parents and all they were. Just like me.

"Oh sweetie! We've done it!"

"A cage!"

"You should see those despicable ghosts splat!"

"Despicable!"

I allowed the chilling transformation from me to Phantom come over me like a warm hug. I pushed the thought of what **exactly** they must have created to get Jack so excited he was merely repeating my mother. The echo of the ghost they had hurt was now swamping the house and I had to gasp to get any kind of air going – even thought Phantom's body didn't need to breath.

There was a little known fact – little known because it was solely **myself** and **Phantom** who felt the affects and did_n't have anyone to talk to about it_ – that when ghosts are in pain they scream at such a high frequency that human **can not** hear it.

Other ghosts can, of course, but it is not a physically disabling thing. An annoyance.

Halfa's, or rather, just Phantom and I – hear it like a banshee squealing. Enough so that at close range – I've been known to lose consciousness.

Thank goodness the echo of the ghost was a little older than a few minutes – or else I might have succumbed to the pure fear-hate-scream that was currently bouncing around my house like a ping-pong ball.

My door crashed open, bashing the wall behind it.

"Danni! Oh, where could she be?"

I blinked as I looked at my parents, who had entered my room. They were looking around bewildered, straight through me.

_Thank God. _I sighed in relief. Phantom had turned us invisible. His quick thinking while my muddled mind had turned sour.

_:You rock.:_

He preened.

_:I know.:_

"I was sure I heard her..." Jack said, scratching his balding head and rubbing his enormous belly.

Maddie shrugged, noncommittally. "Must have been our imaginations... did she say she was going out?"

"Not that I know of."

"Then again, she doesn't tell us much anymore."

I never told them anything, at any time in my life. It wasn't a recent development.

_:Was this worry?_: I thought sardonically as they both stood in my room and pouted at each other. Some kind of slim device in Maddie's palm.

The mental exhaustion of disbelief as they actually **tried** to care for me, for once, blew through me like a puff of noxious gas.

They continued to call out for me. Stunning me into stillness. The repetition is nothing like I've ever heard. Never before had my name been said so many times in a minute. It was music to my ears. The kind that starts out soft and sweet and then slowly dribbles down the drain as you realize the lyrics are all about pain and hurting and unhappiness.

_:We should go.:_ Phantom said. Urging me to move away.

_:Just a second longer._:

It's a plead that comes out instead of simple words.

The chant of sentences staring my name wash over me, before finally the door shuts and the chorus is drowned in silence.

And to think, it only took my parents fourteen years to notice their youngest daughter is missing from their lives.

_:I'm taking control.:_

It was a warning. One that I had demanded Phantom make whenever he wanted control of our body. The same one I was to make, when the situation was reversed. I allowed him the body without much protest, becoming a simple mind in the back of his own, as limbs moved of their own accord.

_:Let's fly.:_ I requested as Phantom lifted off the ground and hovered.

_:It would be my pleasure.: _He said.

And truly, it was.

We smiled, both of us at the same time, taking control at the same moment to lift the sides of mouth upwards. Even though I was fifteen, I'd never been kissed – but this was how I imagined it to feel.

Not that Phantom and I had any kind of inclination towards the voice in our own heads. But, the feeling of someone else against your own lips was... _unique_. It was shared in a way that most of my life had not been.

Narcissistic too, because I enjoyed it too much for it to be normal.

We were in the air the next second I started paying attention. Weightless. Gravity touching everything around us but leaving us be. Our hair whipped back and forth, and when it reached close to our eyes I saw the pure white had a touch of translucency to it. Signaling that we were invisible. We could see ourselves when invisible – no one else could though.

_It was a nice perk,_ I thought.

No words needed to be exchanged. Phantom was as enamored with flying as a fish was in love with the water. I followed along like a piece of drift wood caught in a new world, soon to be part of the ocean. Phantom drifted like he knew everything about the wind and I clung on hoping one day to be as all knowing as him – already picking up on a few tricks of the trade.

_:Park?:_ I said, amazed that my voice inside our head was not swept away with the wind.

:_Sounds... pleasant.:_

Phantom talk for _"Must we?"._

_:I need to think, Phantom.:_

_:..All right.:_

Phantom never liked the park. For a few reasons. The first being that he had died in one.

The fact that the park Phantom had died in was all the way in London, bulldozed over for an office building, had no weight on his feelings of the matter. The fact that his murder, a mugger who had been trying to steal from a pretty little lady that had dark hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, was dead - also had no hold on my partner-in-mind. The fact that that to-be-mugged-woman had allowed Phantom, when he had been naught but a scrawny boy, to lay in her lap as he died from a gunshot wound in her protection – had a little more hold on the situation. The only reason he even allowed the body to be driven anywhere near a park.

He still felt stifled and trapped at parks. All parks. Amusement. Forest. The word was the reminder.

_:Thank you.:_ I said, sincerely.

He did not respond, simply continued flying, receiving his fix for the day. The wind embracing him in a way I hoped, perhaps, one day I would be able to.

As we continued at a pace that dazzled planes, Phantom reminds me of his obsession: Protection. It makes me want to groan, but I snuggle in deeper as I allow Phantom his mental rant. He is taking me to the park, after all, he deserves it.

_:We really should leave, Danni,_: He said, mimicking himself from days past. :_Your parents are a danger to not only _themselves_ and ghosts but __**us**__. They have no clue. NO CLUE! The kind of terror and absolute wrongness they will be bringing. This can not continue. It's either we stop them or we run, Danni. We need to protect ourselves._:

_:I agree,:_ I said, also mimicking myself from days ago. :_But I'm still only fifteen, Phantom._:

The "_Where would I go_?" unspoken, because Phantom doesn't quite get 'homes'. He liked the freedom of not having a place to return to. He was a loner. He had been for practically forever. His home was his own body.

_:Age is just a number.: _He boasted.

I sigh_. :It is, but one that decides who the police hunt down if I go missing.:_

_:We'd leave a note. I'm not completely unreasonable.:_

_:And Sam and Tucker?:_

He paused for only a second, he'd already thought of all my arguments.

_:They are not in danger. Not like you or I.:_

He has answers for every one of my questions. Like usual. Answers that speak to the part of my brain that touches his own on a regular basis – the part that picks up on his own obsession and is slowly integrating it into my own mind: Protect. Above all costs.

**We must survive.**

_:Not yet, Phantom.:_ I said. Pushing my very mind into the present and only the present. _:Please... Just a little while longer.:_

_:It's been three weeks,: _Phantom responded. The truth is that it has been a month, but Phantom and I had taken a full week to simply accept the situation._ :How much time do you need?:_

_:I don't know, Phantom,:_

And I don't. Heartbreak and tearing yourself from all you know is hard.

We land in the park with silence blanketing us, like the snow that wouldn't be present for another four months. Phantom has backed off from my rather rational fear of leaving the city, and guided us over to a bench that overlooks the playground I grew up on. We allowed myself to come through, changing from Phantom to Danni, and sat on the bench.

I think over why I should stay and the numerous reasons flood me. If I turn the issue over, I know the oppositions has its reasons too. My mind supplies that I should stay because this is my home. Sam and Tucker are here. This is all I have ever known. School is here. I am only a child, in the grand scheme of things. The world outside this city is vast and huge and I am frightened of it, if I admit that to myself.

Phantom supplied, faster than my mind could quite snarl at – _it's dangerous here. Your parents are awful horrible people. The city will be the death of us, if we do not get moving._

All valid points.

I look over the playground and remind myself of the memories of this place. Another reason I came here.

When I had been five, I had hid out at the playground for a week. Coming home for snacks and food, only. I slept in the park during that time, just to say I could. My underlying motive was hoping my parents would notice my disappearance. Instead of Jazz with her disapproving two-years-older-than-you glances, who had told me to stop but hadn't had the power to do anything about it.

I steeled my heart, because I couldn't have it breaking, and remembered that it had been **I **who had come back and started sleeping in my own bed – not my parents forcing me back. It had also been I, in the later years when my parents had become more and more forgetful, that smiled brightly at a stressed Jazz and fixed breakfast and dinner. Lunch was provided at school.

It had been me making up excuses for my parents about why they never had time for me. Except the usual disappointed glances when I received my report card, in hopes that perhaps getting bad grades would get them to at least raise their voices towards me. All I received for my failure was a lecture, spoken in even tones, about how I was to get better grades. Which I grudgingly did, only to be received with silence by my parents who thought C's were not that impressive.

And it wasn't that I was stupid. I knew all of the answers to the questions. I did fine on tests, if I was honest. It was that I couldn't always make it to classes. And attendance was a big thing.

But I would challenge anyone in those rooms to really understand my reasoning if they could only feel the despair that hung off of every nook and cranny of that school.

Trying to get my mind off the more depressing aspects of my life I searched for a part of the playground that didn't have some kind of negative hold on my life. My eyes fell on the sandbox and I felt my mouth twitch.

Sam and Tuck.

When I had been seven, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley had greeted me for the first time in that glorified litter box. I had seen them at school, but we had never been in the same class so we did not know each other well. We would be in classes for the next years together, but until then I had had not known them.

It was a day where as my parents worked relentlessly downstairs in the basement and Jazz refused to play with me; I had wondered off, alone. I had seen the two children playing in the sandbox and had wanted so very badly to know them – to have a friend. Their smiles to each other were childlike and I had been immediately jealous.

Then Sam had looked up and asked with a smile if I had wanted to come and join them building a defense against the 'dark one', it hadn't be hard to sit and throw sand for the next four hours. Grinning even as they were taken away by their mothers who both asked if I needed a ride home.

Such kindness really was so foreign that I had told them point blank I could walk. In the years that followed, they understood along with the fathers, that I was perhaps the most independent child in the city.

This was my only defense against running away. Against Phantom, I realized after the past month of fighting with him.

_:This is a dead place.:_ Phantom said.

_:It's all I have.:_ I replied.

_:A month more.: _

_:If there is nothing new in a month?:_

_:We leave.:_

I sat there, shaking as I realized just what I was agreeing too.

_:A month,: _I agreed. _:But if we find even a small something... another month.:_

_:In the grand scheme of things, Danni, two months is hardly anything.:_

This was his way of agreeing to my terms.

So we sat and watched the Amity Park park, trying to listen to the subtle nuances of the city. The city that was groaning with the weight of the world, in such a similar way to ourselves that I had to get up to feel it more fully against my skin.

The city feels sad. Streetlights were not as bright as they could have been, nor did they cover much of the park. The city sat very still. Rough and spindly like a plant trying to reach towards a light being blocked off by a much bigger oak tree. And it is a suffocating kind of feeling, that steals the air from my lungs as the ivy of the city tries to eat us alive.

The emotion of the city, if I could give it just one, would be depressed. From both humans and ghosts. The humans make themselves sad, but the ghosts – the screams that echo weakly – they are simply not strong enough to support themselves in an environment where the humans didn't care enough to fear, or hate, or... love.

The hot summer made everything a little worse, too. Somehow. Words couldn't express how.

And I realize, so many of those tonight, that I'm not just staying for me. I'm saying no to Phantom because this is the first time in as long as I can remember that there was a choice. A choice that I could choose wrong and only have myself to blame. Without it being life-or-death.

_:Do you think one day we'll be happy?:_ I ask.

_:We have forever.:_ He said. _:If **we** can't find happiness, then nobody shall be able to.:_

_:What if I don't deserve it?:_ I asked, knowing that I had come from a broken house hold. People that came from those usually ended up right back in them.

Phantom didn't think so. _:If anyone deserves a chance at some kind of ever-after, Danni, it's you.:_

We shall not run tonight. That much is clear.

Tomorrow? No.

Two months from now? Perhaps.

But two months, when we had already survived one, didn't seem so long to wait.

The air was becoming more than suffocating and was now stilling. I grew claustrophobic in the large area as I stared at the doorway to the beautiful sky above me.

_:Can you dance, Phantom?:_ I asked, already up and off the bench from trying to feel the city. Drink in the pain and misery into my own.

_:I'm sure I could. It's been a long time since I have, though.:_

_:Try and dance we me then.: _I challenged, setting up a pace to a tuneless song in my head.

Images of his life, before death, flashed behind my closed eyelids and he taught me – slowly but surely – how to dance his way.

There was no other person in front of me, but Phantom was using my limbs just as I was. We were not in sync, but we were of the same mind enough that where our feet ended up was somewhat coordinated. It started as a two-step, but I added in a twirl, and Phantom took control of the reigns to teach me a circle of motions. Soon, I was following along with him – limbs and all.

There was a flurry of activity from my feet that I could smell the dust rising. It was not fast though, it was even paced, but it was more than the ground had seen all night. I turned in circles, carefully avoiding all obstacles around me as I pretended that Phantom was in front of me, showing me his unique style of movement.

_:It's called the Tango.: _Phantom whispered as he led my feet in a new direction.

_:Oh?: _I said right back, breathless from the dance that had to have been going on for at least a few minutes.

_:You need two for it.:_

It seemed silly he would bring that up.

_:I've got you.:_

Phantom's emotions warmed against me. Pulled me in as he gave me what we affectionately called a 'mind-melt'. A kind of hug, but full soul. We turned from two in one to something a little weirder, one on one.

It takes two to tango, and so we did.

And we danced until I forgot that we would have a bittersweet future.

* * *

><p>So, what did you think?<p>

If anyone is a re-reader I would very much like your opinion on it.

Actually. Just any opinion really. :)

I LOVE REVIEWS!


	2. Consider it Unexpected

I think I did quite well with this re-write, I hope you all think so as well.

Same warnings as first chapter still apply.

I do not own anything except a few of the words, probably.

ENJOY!

"WORD" - Normal speech.

:_WORD_: - Mind-Speak between Danni and Phantom

* * *

><p><strong>Consider it Unexpected<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Now, Daniella," Vlad said, "Would you mind if I came in?"<em>

_I was petrified of saying yes. Even more so of saying no._

**_-~DP~-_**

78.

That is the number of how many days had passed since Phantom and I had landed in that park, decided upon our next move, and danced. Two months, two weeks, and five days. At least, that was what I calculated it at.

I'd been sharing my soul, body, and mind with Phantom for a little over three months. By a little over, I, of course, meant that it was almost four. In the next few days it certainly would be.

Many things had happened in this time.

Tucker had finally gotten up the courage, after I had pushed him enough, to ask Sam on a date. His meat-loving ways and her vegan-attitude, somehow worked. They'd kissed the day after, right in front of me. The cute pussy-footing around had been adorable for the first week, and then the making out had started. I had never been so put-off and jealous at the same time in all of my life.

Phantom had just smugly said, :_Just deserts.:_

Which was _deserved_, of course, because it had been me who had pushed them together. And I wouldn't have changed it for the world. The two of them... they were **comfortable** together. In a way I had never known with another, physical, person. Cuddled together with their polar-opposite ways but completely respect each other. In this instant, perhaps, just perhaps, two wrongs did make a right.

The completely opposite of me and all my problems.

While my two best friends were in la la-land, I was in purgatory.

The week after the whole park deal, I started following Phantom's awkward and against the grain advice that he had been offering up for the past month. Which was plainly – Rebel. _Be you, instead of what you think your parents want from you. _He had said.

At first, I wasn't sure how to.

My whole life I had lived with one simple thing in mind: Get the attention of my parents. And I had tried it the goody-two-shoes way. Change my behavior only in the way that would get their attention. In a positive way, at least. Since it had failed so often, I had just kind given up hope and accepted they must have hated me or something.

But, disobeying orders, shirking chores and food schedules, along with skipping school and suddenly I was all they talked about. _Danni didn't do this. Did Danni do this? Where on earth is Danni?_ Their theories, because I wasn't talking to them about it, was that I had found some kind of boy outside the house who was a bad influence on me.

As amusing as that was, the boy had actually come from **_inside_ **the house, inside the portal to be exact. And was now _inside_ my head.

I took their stupidity and ran with it, though. Not every day something like that happened. Making Phantom's sudo identity named Daniel Forman. Whom I would spend hours outside the house, on rooftops or in trees or even around school, simply talking. And, the longer I was gone from the house, the more pissed my parents would be when I returned.

_Why hadn't I done that earlier? _It would have saved me a lot of trouble. Fake boyfriend and all.

Maddie and Jack both had pulled me aside at least two different times per week to try and get me to 'open' up about my problems. And then they would both sit me down on Sunday and try and crack me. They still barely saw or talked to me, but now when they did see me, instead of running their mouths about their inventions they tried to _talk to me_. Grill me for all I was worth.

While they waited to interrogate me - Phantom and I were out dissecting the world and my own frustrations. If it hadn't been for Phantom, I probably would never have realized just how cynical of a side I could show.

Phantom liked to claim it was because I could finally 'breath' but well… I just liked to think I put my sassy-pants on.

All while my parents raged on why I wasn't home.

The little pit in my stomach had warmed over the first few times that had actually directed their attention towards me. Warmed over like a pot of boiling oil.

Too fucking bad it was too little, too late.

Since a month gone, too.

Since Jack had **dared** to raise an ecto-weapon against me, while I was still in the form of his daughter. When I had been too shocked and hurt to do anything but stare at him with wide eyes as he brushed off the pain I was feeling as – impossible. Telling me to tough it out. The gun wasn't meant to hurt humans, therefore it didn't. I was being a baby.

My blood boiled as I thought over the past and tried to force myself to the now.

Jack was the reason we were now, for sure, running away, after all. Something Phantom was excited about, but was also incredibly put off with because we were not doing that at this very second.

We were roped into something much worse.

_:I still can't believe we are doing this.:_ Phantom said, more than aware that I was struggling to hold back my anger at the dinner table.

_:Let it go, Phantom. We've lasted almost two weeks already.:_

_:Why did I agree to this... this madness?:_

_:Because then we can plead torture if we are ever caught after we run?:_

_:Hardy, har, har.:_ He said dryly.

I smiled into my palm that was fisted against my face. Trying not to call attention to myself at the table I was currently seated at with one of the most wealthy people in the world. And my family. One the most wealthy people, who made my best friend Sam Manson's family look like they were still begging for table-scraps - and we were at his house. A mansion no less, that may actually take up the same amount of space as the state of Maine.

The host was sitting at the head of the table, with Jack to his right and Maddie to his left. Jazz was sitting next to me, smiling politely at the conversations of the adults when she wasn't reading. It was cute look my sister had on her face whenever she showed it, a few parts intellect but almost too many parts curious as well and I had to stifle a proud albeit small smile.

My parents were another matter entirely. The host, too. All of them chatting while I tried to get a good look at the billionaire without arising the suspicion of my parents.

Vlad Masters. **Vladdie**, as my father had called him. A cheese-head. A man in the two percent of the world who owned a multimillion dollar corporations and ran it with all the power of a dictator. The man who had an almost British accent that came more from his wealth than any actual country of origin. Former-college-friends with my parents. Best friends.

_Who would have thought? _Even though my parents had never once mentioned they had known Mister Masters, it was clear that they did. By the way that Masters was looking at my mother, I would say _intimately_. Which had a squich-factor of at _least_ eleven, but I could forgive because they hadn't seen each other in years... Perhaps she had changed enough that Mister Masters wouldn't see anything worth while in her?

_:The way he's drooling,: _Phantom said, disgust seeping through._ :I think not.:_

_:A girl could dream.:_

My parents knew people with money mostly because they **had** money. Usually my parents 'friends' (who had money) were complete ass-holes, hoity-toity and all that because they had the money to fund my parents crazy experiments- that weren't quite so crazy anymore. I had first assumed the same of Masters, until my father had foolishly exclaimed: "VLADDIE!"

I couldn't tell if the shudder was from the break-spine hug or the nick-name.

:_Watch._: Phantom whispered, interrupting the reminiscing of the ball-room greeting my Father had given that might have also cracked one of Masters ribs. _:Between the oaf and Mister Masters.:_

Following Phantom's instructions I zoned into Jack and Master's interactions. And was promptly puzzled as Jack laughed boisterously, and Mister . Masters only gave him a tight smile in return. Maddie fakely laughing along, with stress lines around her brow. Narrowing my eyes I watched further and was further amused to see Masters only barely restrained himself from smacking Jack's hands as they patted his shoulder.

_:They are supposed to be friends.:_

_:Perhaps not as friendly as we thought, Danni.:_

Watching closely, I could confirm that he was right. Vlad outright glared, before remembering himself and biting out a bitter smile.

_:Oh dear, he __**really**_ _dislikes him._:

Phantom laughed.

I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, though. Just general dislike. :_What do you mean?_:

_:Come along, Danni, use what I taught you,: _He said, instead of helping me. _:Watch their **actions**. Not their words.:_

So I did. I watched the little things. Masters's clenching fist. The way his eyebrow twitched along with his eye when Jack said something exceedingly stupid and ignorant. The heavy breathing as he glared when no one was looking at my father but smiled dotingly at my mother. The tight smile that came about when my parents did something gross and lovey-dovey.

I felt my spoon drop as I interpreted all the signs just as Phantom had taught me.

Vlad Masters was no friend of Jack.

I didn't know what else he could be at the moment, but it was clear the feelings that were there did not wish the man of my household a good tomorrow. Nor a good year.

Everyone's conversations stopped as my cutlery fell on to my plate with a patter-clatter. Everyone also turned to look at me, necks snapping in some cases, as if I had called their attention with a cow-bell or a knife to the cups to signal my want of silence.

I had only a second to react correctly. Getting into my newest state of mind, that seemed to piss my family off like no-other, I smirked.

"Oops."

:_You're awful, Danni._: Phantom snorted, watching the procession with something akin to blood lust. Just wanting someone to throw the first punch.

As he had all week.

"Did you need something, Miss Daniella?" Mister Masters asked.

_:Manners,: _Phantom warned me before I could follow along my own and his trains of thought. :_He dislikes your father, remember? That makes him a... friend.:_

Enemy of my enemy and all that.

Grudgingly, I gave him my respect. Phantom knew more about word play then I did, after all.

"No, sir. Simple slip of the hand." I threw in a dazzling smile to sweeten the pot.

Maddie and Jack both jumped my skin together as one. "Danni!" and "Ella!" rang clearly. Loudly.

"Yes?" I asked, wincing at the volume of their voices.

"Why on earth did you do that?" Both parents yelled.

"I heard the first time." I said, rubbing my ears in mock pain from the din. "It was an accident."

"Don't give me that young lady," Jack said, his eyes wide and huge as he glanced between everyone at the table. "You've been nothing but sour this entire trip!"

"Considering I've dropped a spoon and you think I've started the apocalypse?" I replied. "Yeah, I might be a tad sour. So sue me."

Maddie's forehead vein bulged and Jack gaped. Both of them angry that I would dare do this to _them_ at the dinner table of their oh-so-important friend.

As if I hadn't done this before.

After almost two weeks on the road, a family-imposed torture, it was a surprise nobody had murdered anyone. Specifically me and my parents. Jazz simply sat out of all our spats and read her book or studied us. Never talking until all the 'bad' words were spat out and soot on the wind. Or she would snap at me if I asked a question while she was in the middle of a good paragraph (mostly because she was driven just as insane as I was from the stupid ghostly-camp-fire songs). She always apologized after, but I was petty and refused to talk to her half the time.

Maddie and Jack had started this road-trip with the hope that I would learn how to live in the 'real' world, after all. Jazz was just dragged along for the hell of it. Their mad-minds ready to torture us both through our imposed family-time.

The only thing I had **learned** from this torturous road-trip was that Beavers could climb trees if a giant RV was coming at them at over fifty miles an hour.

Also, that I was very lucky I hadn't half-died a second time.

Jack was a horrid driver.

But he had been paying a lot of attention to Jazz and I, which left a pleasant little pit in my stomach that I stomped on with Phantom's help. I didn't need some kind of pity forming for the half-wit.

I caught Masters as I tuned out my mother's rage. She was going quite strong. He was looking thoughtful as he glanced me over. I caught him at the end of it. There was nothing malicious about it, I could tell he was just curious about me. Daughter to the great and powerful Fentons who was neither smart nor a looker. I wondered what he was thinking. His eyebrows were quirked but his mouth was pursed. A thoughtful look to his face the entire time.

"You're not even listening, are you Daniella?" Maddie steamed.

"Haven't been for a while." I said, honestly.

That caught my parents off guard, which I reveled in momentarily.

"Then you can go to your room and think about your attitude young lady!"

We caught eyes, Mister Masters and myself, as I was sent away from the table by my irate mother, and I smirked at him.

I didn't believe it when he returned the gesture.

* * *

><p>There was a final crack as the door shut.<p>

The door to the large dinning room closed behind me as a maid pointed me in the direction of where I had placed my suitcase. The giant room that had been painted cream, lavender, and orange - somehow making it still look grand and amazing. With a king size bed that I was dying for right about now.

_:Why do I get the feeling we've entered into a new game?:_ Phantom asked.

_:I don't know,:_ I said exhausted, as I started the long trek to the wing where the rooms were. _:I didn't expect that...:_

_:He's like a tiger in sheep's clothing.:_

_:Yeah right, if anyone's the tiger in sheep's clothing,:_ I said decisively, :_It would be __**us**__.:_

_:Of course. You are right, as always, Danni,: _Phantom said. _:But this is different.:_

_:He's a human: _The thought of any human being dangerous to us was laughable. I dismissed him as just that. Phantom was not going to let me do that.

_:And are you not just as dangerous as him?:_

I stopped just outside the door that was to be my room for the last few days of our journey before we returned home.

_:What do you mean?:_ I asked, shivering at the amount of spectral energy in this house.

It was a wonder Masters hadn't had had it fumigated. Or whatever it is that humans did to get rid of low-level spirits... Which was weird, because that meant there was a higher-powered ghost around.

But I had not felt anything over a level three. Phantom hadn't given any indication of a higher powered ghost around either. Then again, we were kind of a kill-joy in that department and few Ghosts even **_tried_ **to come near us with our power level seeping through our pores.

_:I'm not ignorant, anymore,:_ Phantom said. _:I've been watching humanity and it is clear that humans are dangerous in their own ways. To other humans at least.:_

I opened the door and turned on the light. _:Explain.:_

_:Danni, Mister Masters has a lot of money. From what I know - just hearing things about him throughout the grapevine, he is also a __**powerful**_ _man.: _Phantom explained as I sat on the edge of the enormous bed, settling down for a long rant and after-discussion. _:People fear him enough to call him powerful. And so, to other humans, he **is** powerful.:_

_:Your word play is too much sometimes, Phantom.:_ I said. I was still just a kid really, street-smart now more than ever but still pretty dense. _:But I get it. He's powerful because he has money and others believe he can use that to their gain?:_

_:You're listening better.:_ Phantom praised. _:What else did you observe of him?:_

_:Must we do this now?:_ I groaned, not in the mood for twenty questions.

Phantom didn't answer, but I got the distinct impression he was unimpressed with me.

_:Fine, fine.:_ I said, rubbing my eyes.

I recalled Masters eyes :_Anger.:_

_:Very old anger.: _Phantom confirmed.

I tried to think of more, but I hadn't gotten much more than a look in. Phantom would have had more time to concentrate. I had been busy at the time we had crossed stares.

_:I didn't get that good of a look at them.:_

_:Understandable, but I **did**, Danni.:_

I smiled. A perk of having two minds in one body. One of the few perks.

_:Can I see it?:_

_:You may.:_

Phantom allowed me to see the memory through himself. How he had interpreted the eye contact and what he had gotten out of it.

I was... a bit shocked.

Ok. No. That's not the right way to put it. My brain was now kind of spluttering in the aftermath, failing at putting itself back together. The _second_ of eye contact that I had held was nothing compared to what Phantom had managed in the same time limit.

Masters eyes were so **deep** and **vast**. It made me shiver. The insurmountable amounts of pain, bitterness so cold, betrayal so **deep**, and love so forgotten by everyone and anyone else... the same part that was in my _own eyes_ when I looked in the mirror instead of just relying on Phantom to back me.

Loneliness. Wanting. The wanting to belong. An orphans wanting, or a family revoked kind of thing. A lonely wanting. A longing so deep that even if I starred for hours, I would never reach the bottom of it.

And it was mirrored in my eyes.

The longing was in both of us. Something deep and something profound. It made the pit in my stomach form in favor of running and protecting myself – rather than sit and try and muddle through what on earth anything **his** eyes were telling me, screaming at me.

"What the hell." I said, with my fingers clenched in the bed spread. Tightened like a noose in the poor fabric.

_:That's what I saw.:_

Phantom was more observant than I could ever hope to be.

"What the hell does that to a person?"

How on earth had it been replicated? How on earth were some of the same things that I apparently struggled with... staring back at me, like that?

_:He has perhaps lived a long life.:_

"Bullshit. So have many people." I said, not really defending the older man, but knowing that he was the same age as my parents made it eerie to know there was something very, very different about them all. He was not like my parents, but he was also not totally like me. There was no way he was, anyway.

I would have felt it.

_:I've never been so... intrigued by a human...: _Phantom admitted, before covering his own ass. _:Other than yourself, of course, Danni.:_

"Don't worry, Phantom. The feeling, for once is... completely mutual."

I puzzled over the newest mystery that had sat its pretty little self right in front of us, just out of reach like a chew toy on a higher piece of furniture.

Was it because people with money just... were different? There had to be a lot of betrayal and heart break for one who was loaded... right? Perhaps it was just my imagination, but I didn't remember seeing any kind of photos of family, friends, or 'people'. There was memorabilia of the Packers, and also tons of things about his company but nothing... personal.

"Do you think it is rude to ask?" I finally muttered, fed up with trying to scratch Masters secrets to the forefront without some kind of actual proof from himself.

_:Danni. Don't be stupid.: _He playfully sent a wind puff to blow my hair. _:Of course its rude to ask.:_

And for a moment I smiled, stupidly. My mind doing a one-eighty, as it was sure to do on occasion, on everything Masters and focusing solely on Phantom. A switch flipped as something new and shiny rolled into view.

"Do that again,"

I egged him on. Playfully.

With all the huff and grumble of an old man putting on a show of great pain to himself, Phantom did just that. The wind around my hair tossing it every which way for a mere second, before Phantom lost it and it fell flat. The giggle that escaped him was boyish in all its charm, and I allowed a grin to reach my own face.

We'd been learning, over the months of our self-imposed outcastment from society in general, that we can do **many** things neither of had thought possible.

Well, with one **body** anyway.

Phantom was king of the wind, and now, for the most part, I was queen. Because of that, the air around us acted differently than anywhere else in the **world**. It was kind of like a pet, but with far less _sentience_ and much more **brutal element**. The excitement of a new puppy was there, but the surety was lacking.

Therefore, it was awesome good at following simple commands from Phantom, even though he was not actually on the plane of existence it thought he was. Well, awesome good was a lie. It only worked half the time and Phantom had to concentrate ever-so hard to get it to do anything – which was all worth it in their down time.

"Are you trying to remind me who's actually the dangerous one?" I asked.

Phantom was easily indifferent about it, but was glowing with pride that he had managed that one small thing. The wind settled around me into a light breeze before fluttering out like a candle.

"Because I heard loud and clear 'lion in sheep's clothing.'"

_:Do stop Danni, I might get a big head,:_ He said, but I could tell he was triumphantly happy by my sincere praise.

His hand, a ghost of it, dropped on my shoulder, patted once and then disappeared like we did when turning invisible. Except it was all in my head. And I appreciated that, even though Phantom and I would never meet face to face (that we knew of), we could give each other the physical support we might need throughout the years.

It was nice to know we were more than just a freak. More than just souls lost and found.

The very word that Phantom would growl at but I would shove insistently in his face, because we were a freak. Of nature. Scientifically, we were two beings that had no right to continue to exist. It was a complicated thing to begin _even_ processing. An abomination to some in the Ghost Zone, and _if_ the humans ever find out what we were... Well Salem, with the whole Witchcraft thing, will look like **child's play.**

Since we were freakish, and we met every so often with a few ghosts from the Ghost Zone that had not had their minds torn to ribbons by my parents. Clockwork, the protector of all of Time and Space, had tried to give us advice on meeting inside our own head. For both of our sanity. When we slept or when we found the time and the place to meditate.

Sleep was way easier and way harder to manage.

Clockwork had said picture a blank room. It could be black, white, gray, or even floral if we so wanted. But it had to have two doors. One for me and one for Phantom. It had to be a place of neutral meeting. It had to be open, but small. So we would interact with each other.

He'd told us this almost three weeks ago, the fourth time we had met with him. And since he was the ghost who knew all about time and space – well, you kind of don't disobey or argue with that. So we tried.

We slept and tried to find each other only ever to greet ourselves in the morning with a put-off-sigh..

Meditation was harder because there was no good place to go. My room was invaded now and then by my parents who were now _all aboard_ team 'care about Danni', the usual rooftops didn't have their usual luster and for the most part Phantom and I had **needed** those places to breath before we destroyed the city.

And the ghosts of the city helped with none of it.

Phantom and I tried to reason with them. Those of them that could be reasoned with. There were not many. And those that could think usually ran before my parents caught onto the scent of a new ghost. The other ghosts... well, they were all just figments of their-selves really.

The Ecto-Splicer, Fenton-Thermos, and Fenton-bazooka kind of did that to one who was stupid enough to get caught in the cross-hairs..

_:__**Please**_ _stop thinking of that. You're making me ill.:_ Phantom interrupted my mind, that had gone on a long tangent.

It amused me often to think that Phantom grew ill of that, but could watch a slaughter go down without blinking an eye. Just went to show the priorities some people had.

"Sorry." I said, a whisper because I was also feeling ill now.

"You know what will help with this?" I asked Phantom with a smile, and he groaned out a 'please no'. "A shower!"

_:Can we not?:_

"Hey, you haven't been stuck all day in the same car and the same air as Jack Fenton." I said, shivering as I realized I might actually be able to see the germs if I looked hard enough.

_:Be my guest then._: Phantom said, still not all that happy about water. _:Just remember, you can wash all you like but blood is __**under**_ _the skin.:_

"Piss off." I muttered the words over to myself before ultimately yawning and stretching. It had been a long day in the car. A shower was just what I needed. Especially as I was still feeling ill at the image Phantom had painted. Jack Fenton's blood ran through my veins. Gross.

Then I realized it was not myself and my thoughts that were making me ill.

I blinked as I felt the room around me with hesitant hands. It was swarming with low-level ghost energy. Which was nothing new. Ghosts flocked to more powerful ghosts. It was a part of life as a Halfa.

The fact, there were many more ghosts around me than I had ever attracted by myself, was what alerted me that something was wrong. The pure power of the low-level spirits in such a great quantity was making me put-off my lunch. Only because none of them had a form, and simply were just... _there_. Kind of just... haunting me.

Which led me to believe there was some kind of natural portal around. Or another ghost portal that allowed ghosts to come through… Or perhaps there was another ghost hanging around, that was as powerful, if not more so than me.

I shivered as my built in warning system, a puff of blue ice-cold chill, came out of my mouth. It wouldn't do that for merely a spectral mass of energy. Only ghosts.

_:That is quite... __**potent**__.:_ Phantom said, immediately on the offensive.

"Tell me about it." I said, but it came out very small and strangled. Another puff exiting my mouth that left frost-burn in its wake.

_:Damn it. I really wanted that shower.:_

Phantom said nothing and we both waited for the inevitable show-down.

Instead of a ghost coming through from the ceiling, floors, windows, walls, or doors - Phantom and I were blown half-way backwards in our own mind as _memories_ flushed us:

_-My own father was drowning in his sorrows, drinking bottle after bottle of Vodka, straight, until his liver just gave out. Sick and tired of keeping his menial existence from being dead. My mother, on my arm, as I finally managed to get what I wanted in life. Happiness. Revenge, best served cold. Seeing the oaf who had ruined my college experience, lower than dirt in the eyes of the world was the best feeling in the whole-_

I staggered under the weight of the emotions and memory - **no** not memories. Hopes. Dreams. Steeped in anger and horrifying power. The feelings of power and greed and insurmountable relief flowed through me

I'd never met a ghost who actually _Projected_. It was said to be a very, very rare ability. Only blessed to the most powerful of the powerful. To actually force emotions, memories, or dreams onto the host of someone who was not only unwilling but unaware – was something akin to a god-like power.

It wasn't just that either. The images I had seen were immortalized against my eyelids. Much more – I actually felt the want, an almost need, to help whoever this was achieve his goal. Murdering my father had always kind of appealed to me after the ghostly-blood-lust and want to see of violence came through from Phantom's side of the bond. The only baggage he had brought along with him when he had been smashed into my own soul.

I could feel my own anger bubbling up towards the surface. Wanting to agree that seeing Jack, despairing on the ground while I stood tall, was exactly what I wanted.

My mother though. _Ew._

A shiver traveled its way up my spine like a fire. I had never actually seen such gruesome thoughts that were not my own. Directed towards my father, anyway. It made the pit in my stomach grow colder. Phantom grew warmer at the violence in those _memory_-_wants_.

_:Snap out of it, Danni!: _Phantom snarled at me, getting me away from my inward thoughts and back to real-life.

_:Holy shit.:_ I said, so eloquently. Eyes wide as I shook my head, to get it clear again. I realized, with a shake of my head, a moment after that particularly gruesome scene that that was not, in fact, my own memories or my own projected thoughts.

Someone else was thinking of my parents.

It was someone else.

_:He's powerful.: _Phantom said.

_:I repeat: **Holy shit**.: _I said.

We were then hit with another wave of memories, dreams. This one... a bit more powerful. My eyes snapped opened as I felt Phantom bubbling up, ready to tag-team me out of this existence so we had a better chance to fight. His mind was sharp as we both shot a look towards the door of the room, sitting up sharply :

_-I was sneering down at my own father, who was sobbing into his alcoholic beverage, bemoaning how he would do anything to have 'Maddie' back. Anything to be forgiven. Anything to have my love again, as well. Acknowledging how much he had fucked up. I, this person who I was, would not forgive. Ever. The person that I was, laughed in my father's face as he tried to plead with him for his life back. As it had been. Before I had showed up.-_

I was left in the after math wondering how the hell I wasn't out murdering someone. It was a disorienting feeling, as I tried to separate myself from the other ghost. Confusing in a way that was more than... confusing - because the only thing I was absolutely sure of was the part about Maddie.

I didn't want it.

But Jack was another matter. I could feel my own anger sparking, and snarling at the singular thought that someone else hated Jack as much as me. For a different reason. It was almost like it justified my anger. Justified that I wanted to see Jack on his last leg, and me being the one to kick it down. See him, as he fell and looked towards me. Attentive for once. Fully on me. Perhaps not as dead as the ghost wanted him, but down on his luck all the same. Perhaps finally loving me – or in Jail. Maybe both.

I was zinged with energy at that particular image.

Phantom didn't even try and say something about it. Instead, he pointed out something a little more important.

_:They have to be close.:_

I responded, dazed_. :No other way could they project through walls if they weren't.:_

Whoever it was, he was also powerful.

Phantom and I took a moment to debate over whether we should start our running away early or stay and wait out this very unusual storm. The ghost, if anything, didn't seem to want to harm us. More like it wanted to... test us. And it knew where to test.

I wanted to stay, and Phantom cursed my curious nature. But I reminded him of something he always liked to remind me: _The enemy of my enemy is my friend. _And Jack may not be even on the radar of an enemy, but I had been harmed by him. He was no friend.

_:He's outside the door, somewhere.:_ So not outside the house. He was an inhabitant.

My hands shook as the dream-projections came faster, without any rhyme or reason:

_-A knife had entered my father's sternum and he was looking at me with this face that scream betrayal and hurt and it was... __**lovely**__-_

Somehow I found myself walking towards the door, drawn to the unknown ghost's presence.

_:This is not a good idea.:_ Phantom said, failing to get control of the body because it wasn't just I who was piloting. A need to see whoever this was had risen as my common sense fled. :_Danni, this is not a good idea!:_

_:I'm not running away until I have to, Phantom. This time, we stay. A little while longer.:_

And in this, for once, I was stronger than Phantom. Phantom's first nature was always going to be running away and mine was always going to be to stand and fight, hold my ground. Sway with the punches instead of flee from them.

Perhaps that would be our downfall.

I opened the door, the huge thing that was at least my height in width and twice my self in height. I creaked as it opened to the muted darkness outside the door. Taking a deep breath I stepped outside, expecting to be immediately involved with the newest ghost to catch our attention since Skulker.

Instead, I was met with silence. To our right, I craned my head. I saw nothing. Puzzled, I curiously pondered if the Ghost was invisible. Or not there.

Then the blue-puff of cold air burned the top of my mouth and I had to open it to allow it exit, before it damaged my mouth.

_They were here._

"_Why_. Hello, Daniella." The voice was soft spoken and had an air as though it had made this greeting so many times. It was also familiar.

I whipped my head around to see Vlad Masters, standing outside my door, directly where I would have been looking had I looked straight forward. Two feet in front of me, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back in a very relaxed but... powerful position. Regal.

He had not been there before.

There was nothing about this man, now, that didn't scream out a warning to my mind. Nothing that was harmless like he had been only a few minutes before. Perhaps not even half an hour if my inner-clock had anything to say about it.

"What brings you outside your room this evening?" Mister Masters asked, his voice somehow managing to slope and smooth and dip like he was visually conscious of every word coming out of his mouth. As though the action was staged many times and rehearsed and repeated until perfected.

_:Did you feel him?:_ I asked Phantom.

_:He was not there... Not before we looked.:_

A projection came towards me out of the dark and pushed right past any kind of defenses I had:

_-The knife slashed outwards, taking the skin of my father, __**where**_ _I couldn't tell, and pulling and pushing until it all snapped open. Blood everywhere. The voice of Phantom inside my skull was mesmerized.-_

I shivered. The blue breath burning me again as it exited my mouth. This time in full view of Mister Masters. The billionaire merely smirked, as if it was a normal occurrence. There was a certain smugness about his reaction and my legs weakened as I realized, a second behind Phantom, that Vlad Masters, _knew_.

It didn't even matter what exactly he knew. Just that he did.

I felt a dark sense of foreboding. Phantom urged me to allow him the body. Make room so he could ready us for flight and running. Like he was used to. The need to sprint and run was strong, but I held it's reigns tightly. Not allowing anything to show. Showing weakness now would not help either of us.

_:We have no clue whats going on.: _I said to Phantom.

_:All the more reason to __**not**__ stick around.: _He bit back, true terror biting back at me.

Perhaps I was mistaken about Mister Masters, because he didn't look like he was even fazed by me.

When Master's had been at the dinner table, a time away from now, he had been laughing at my mothers jokes, glaring not-so-openly at my father, and all together ignoring Jazz and myself unless we spoke to him. Something had changed though. But was it enough to react at?

_:Don't be a fool, Danni.: _Phantom snarled, this time allowing me to feel how much he feared for us. He did not like the danger we were currently in, even if he didn't know how exactly we had come to _be_ in danger.

"I was just..." I started to say, before cutting myself off when I saw Vlad Masters' look of clear amusement that I was about to lie my way out of something. Out of something he already knew.

Adults being smug and so sure was a point of tension for me.

I made a sharp movement towards the clearer side of Mister Masters and an arm came up to stop me. Jolted the frame of the door as I was almost close-lined by it. The arm was an inch in front of my face and I stopped breathing as the very air around us stilled. Trapped by social norms and being rude if I dared to duck under it and run. Trapped also by the oppressive force of whatever Ghost had been projecting, as well.

It was clear he hadn't meant to do that, but he refused to move his arm from blocking my path. My breathing kicked up a notch and I glared at him, hiding my true fear behind a wall of anger. From what I had seen, Masters was a very kind host. Not one to hold his guests hostage, even if it was only a simple arm that caged me.

"Come now, _dear_, we've hardly finished talking." As if that was an excuse for his trapping of me.

I backed off, knowing somewhere deep inside I shouldn't push it.

Phantom agreed, even as he coiled and hissed in my mind.

"What do _you know?_" I asked before Phantom could protest.

"Well, Daniella, I know a great many things about a great many subjects. What did you have in mind?" Masters said, with a twinkle in his eye. His voice holding, and not letting go, of that quality that made it seem like every word he said had purpose. To either cut or to mold.

I cut him off from going forward.

"Funny, but I'd appreciate if you cut the bullshit, Mister Masters." I said with more strength in my knees that I was feeling at the moment. "What do you want?"

Hopefully to anyone watching, I was pulling off a rather _awesome_ rebel teenager - when in reality I was pissing my pants.

_:You have no subtly, Danni. You will be the death of us, if you continue this way.: _Phantom said, resigned to our fate, even if I was the worst to be trading words with this man. Phantom **had** been training me.

It just might not be... _clicking_, all that well. Being a fast-study was not one of my strong points.

Masters looked me over, curiously, before smiling brightly. If I was willing to show any kind of weakness, I might have even back-stepped into my room to escape it. He looked like a man who had won the lottery. Practically beaming.

"Please," Mister Masters said. Looking all harmless and frail for a second as he raised a hand in protest, before it was placed against his own chest. The slightest of pressure folding the fabric under his digits. "Call me, Vlad. Mister Masters sounds so... _old_."

I was hit by unfiltered and undiluted power, the exact moment after Vlad said his name. As if the naming-power that all names held could be spoken into existence that easily. It was in the air around us, sizzling near my ears in a way that reminded me of fireworks.

He also smelled like a person of authority. Like those from the far-frozen had. The brand of musk fit for a king.

_:Shit.: _I said.

_:How is that possible?: _Phantom said, recognizing just what Vlad had done_. :The only ghost we've __**ever**_ _felt compulsion to follow has been...:_

_Pariah Dark._

Phantom realized just how in over our head we were. Just as I did.

"Vlad," I repeated in a whisper that sounded more like an acknowledgment of the power his name held. I hadn't meant for it to come out that way. It just happened. Like many things tonight that I was losing control of.

I gulped, as the realization that even if we had run, those precious seconds ago, we would surely have been caught. Like a bird in a net. There could even be a shield over the house at this very moment. He had gone to school with my parents after all. He wasn't an idiot.

_:Doomed the moment we stepped over the threshold.: _Phantom said, the doom and gloom getting to us both.

"Now, Daniella," Vlad said, "Would you mind if I came in?"

I was petrified of saying yes. Even more so of saying no.

"You said you wanted answers? Well." Vlad stated with a raised brow. "I don't believe anything we have to... **discuss** should be said in such an... _open_ environment. Do you?"

_:Was that some kind of veiled threat?:_

_:Let's hope not.:_

I mutely nodded before stepping out of the way for him to enter, slowly as if I was unsure of my own actions. I hoped the shaking of my hands wasn't as apparent to him as they were to me. It was all I could do not to allow Phantom to take over. Allow us to run. Because surely Vlad must know of us. What we are.

What he must be. Or perhaps what he controls.

I'd never met a human who could control ghosts, but I had heard that it was possible. There were bounties on their heads, though, and I did not remember Vlad Masters being one of them.

Lower spirits usually didn't stick around those who could control them... Then again, they were _lower spirits_. Bright? Not so much.

He stepped into the room and removed his hand from where it had been blocking my path, Vlad's smirked face was unchanged, until he was behind the door. His smile widened, imperceptibly, as if this had been his plan for the whole night. As I closed it, because whatever was going to happen – it was happening behind closed doors, Vlad turned to me and looked me over with a pensive look. A fist under his chin as he observed me, from not even three feet away.

A dismissive sound and he was soon turning.

Phantom's mind was an emotional support beam for me as Vlad walked towards the corner of the room. Where there were two wing-backed chairs in front of a fireplace. (Yes, I am more than aware of how big the guest bed room was.) I had lost what little stability I had thought I had found in my legs and they turned to Jello after the complete look over at I had been given.

"Come. Sit." Vlad ordered as he took his place, crossing his legs, much faster than I would have, in the lighter chair, closer to the window. "I don't bite. I promise."

There was a moment of indecision, before I followed.

_:Let's not piss him off until we know what... is going on.: _Phantom said.

_:I don't know if I can do that.:_

_:For once?: _He said. _:Lets try.:_

_:This coming from you, Phantom?:_

_:You taught me how to piss people off.:_

_:It's a special talent, I thought __**you**_ _of all people would appreciate. And who knows when to use and when not to.:_

The whole conversation that seemed longer in our head, only lasted a few seconds. Mostly because our inside voices spoke pretty fast.

I sat down, legs crossed indian-style as I tried to look childish, with a scoffed laugh inside my head and once again noticed that Vlad was looking me over as if I was a piece of meat. Which allowed me to look him over, too. Vlad was... or rather, looked incredibly dangerous. His nose was pointed and had a vicious angle to it. His eyes like the gaze of a vampire, cruel and sharp. I shivered in my short-sleeved shirt, wishing I had thrown on something warmer. I wasn't used to this Wisconsin weather after all.

Vlad noticed my reaction.

"Cold?"

It sounded like a challenge. One I was more than up for, but through Phantom's warning, I didn't push it.

"Maybe a little. It's colder here, after all. I didn't bring enough sweat-shirts."

He did nothing else, just continued staring after nodding once, sharply. His gaze was like a hawk.

I wasn't sure if I had actually seen him blink during our entire exchange.

The silence stretched for a few more moments and I was getting sick and tired of it. Tired of Vlad ignoring what I had requested in the hallway. Answers.

_:Danni,:_ Phantom warned, just as I completely disregarded his warning. _:Don't-:_

"What is _going on_?" I asked, throwing whatever subtly I was going for out the window.

"Now, Daniella," Vlad said, in a patronizing tone, which interrupted Phantom as he stormed at me for being hasty.

In answer to that, I finally allowed Phantom to get ready to shift. To be battle ready. He curled in my Core and I felt very chilled but safe. Then, Vlad did the weirdest thing, as if he sensed the shift happening within my body.

He sniffed. Once. Twice. Deeply.

Vlad's eyes sparkled as he took a long draw of air, as if he was some kind of dog, sniffing out its prey. It was so absolutely mind-boggling I sat in the chair stunned, instead of continue to prepare myself for the run of a lifetime as Phantom was urging me.

"_**Finally**_. I thought it might have been a fluke." Vlad said, chuckling. He leaned farther into the chair as he relaxed.

"What?" I demanded.

"How long have you been a Halfa?" Vlad questioned, in a much darker whisper, losing almost all pretenses he had adopted. As if we were on the playground, under the slide, telling horror stories and he was setting the mood. Setting it really well.

If the shock of him knowing the term was huge, it was much more bizarre when I realized what it meant for me. Subsequently, him as well. The walls of society and propriety all dropped around me as I realized he **wasn't** a human who controlled ghosts. Couldn't be, because those people didn't know of Halfas.

He was something much worse.

_:Double shit.:_ Phantom said.

Words had power. Just as names did, but I had been so very clueless until he had said that word, that it was like a light was being shone directly in my face, blinding me.

_:Don't you dare push him-:_

"How long have **you**?"

_:Danni, why can't you just __**listen**__?:_

Because it was clear. As I looked closer now. Why his eyes had spoken what Phantom had read. It clicked like a piece of a puzzle I didn't even realize needed to be done. Shoved itself in my face.

I could see it. Like me. It all clicked. I relaxed marginally into the wing-backed chair and tried to calm myself. It was like watching a movie about being sick and then realizing that you have all the symptoms. That your sickness is the same.

When I had been told, along with Phantom, that there was another Halfa… we hadn't exactly imagined this. Him. And yet. Here he was.

_:It wasn't loneliness.:_ I said to Phantom. _:It's difference. A similar loneliness but one that is really... not.:_

He was a freak like we were.

Maybe it was all the revelation changing my thoughts, but I was all of the sudden very thankful he wasn't some human who controlled ghosts. That would have involved a fight. But another ghost? Another Halfa... And he was older. So why had no one told me about him? Surely he was known to the Ghost Zone...

_:There is something missing from our knowledge.: _Phantom said, this time his voice softer.

_:The ghosts have been keeping something from us?:_

_:It would not be the first time.:_

_:Really?:_

_:Ghosts are notorious for... being sneaky, Danni.:_

"Daniella," Vlad said, unimpressed with my new found knowledge. He tutted condescendingly. "I do believe I asked you first."

There was no point denying what we both knew.

"Three months and almost three weeks." I answered, because I had nothing to hide at this point about this subject. To ghosts this was not a secret. "End of next week will be the fourth."

He raised a eyebrow and almost allowed his mouth to drop open. Sitting up straighter, he looked me over as if he had a new found respect or was just plain shocked.

"A mere three months?"

Disbelief was clear on his face.

"And you've no Mark?"

It was my turn to be shocked.

"No..."

Halfas didn't get... Marked. The Ghost King himself had told me such. We were a rare commodity, not unlike gold. We were not _above_ the laws, per se, but... well there just were not many laws **written** about us.

Not to mention, the ghost doing the Marking had to be _at least_, if not **more**, powerful than the Halfa in question. Which was why Pariah had told us we to answer to him. Him alone. And he had said we did not need to be tattooed with his particular brand of ownership.

Not yet, at least.

_:Fucking Walker's Law._: Phantom said.

_:Fucking Walker's Law, is right.: _I responded.

_:Could the King be lying to us?:_

_:It is possible... but **God**, I hope not.:_

Walker Law was the very first Law that put the caste system of the Ghost Zone into power. The Historians are a little hazy on the facts, but everyone agreed after the overthrow of the Observers and the Clones, the peace had not lasted long enough. And the Ghost King and Walker, the ghost of Prison and Law, came together to put the caste system of the Mark together.

And ever since, any new ghost is given six months to the date they are born to run from getting the Mark. The more powerful you are – the longer you run, and the more powerful people come after you.

Through a tattooed Mark, a ghost could form a Master-Slave bond with another ghost. And in this way, the power system was established. Those of the highest power controlled ghosts of lesser power, until it was down to the lowest-of-the-low level ghosts, those who could actually keep a stable form anyway. Which basically meant, if you were powerful, you were only a few ghosts down from Pariah Dark himself.

Those ghosts were known as Knights. Anyone lower than ten ghosts down on the totem pole from either the King, Lords, or the Ladies of the Court - were simply Peasants. The weakest were Slaves.

The King, Lords, and Ladies were in a league all to their own. Outclassing even us Halfas.

"Pariah Dark said I did not need it." I said, with eyes narrowed, knowing that I had gotten off track.

_:Is he Marked?:_ Knowing that was just a plain rude question to ask, Phantom refrained from forcing himself to the forefront.

Vlad looked me over, again, this time finding something new on my blank limbs that were poking through my shirt-sleeve holes.

"Perhaps I was merely mistaken..." He said, before grinning and getting back on subject.

"Three months without me knowing about you, child? That is a feat I had thought _none_ capable."


	3. Know your Enemy

Next chapter here we come! I've got most of it all written out now, and I'm pretty happy with it.

Hope you guys enjoy!

Remember:

"WORD" - Normal speech.

:_WORD_: - Mind-Speak between Danni and Phantom

* * *

><p>Last time:<p>

"_Perhaps I was merely mistaken..." He said, before grinning and getting back on subject. _

"_Three months without me knowing about you, child? __**That**__ is a feat I had thought none capable."_

* * *

><p><strong>Know your Enemy<strong>

* * *

><p><em>Perhaps… Perhaps misery loves company.<em>

**-~DP~-**

If Vlad thought flattery was going to get him anywhere – he would be **completely** right.

Being ignored for most of my childhood, made me slightly more inclined to listen to those whose praised me. Beside my parents, of course. They were a lost cause and not **worthy** ofmy time. They'd had long enough to try and figure out their place in my life but... after the whole Jack raising a weapon against me – it hadn't helped their case. They could forget about me for all I cared.

With Maddie defending the giant oaf, it hadn't been hard to simply write them out of my life.

Jazz was a matter all onto her own, though.

"You have done remarkably well for yourself, you realize this, correct?" Vlad praised, again. The tone spoke of an undertone of impressed respect.

I felt myself relax the slightest bit.

_Respect deemed a certain level of… civility, right?_

"I've nothing to compare it with. So, no." I said, trying valiantly not to blush. It was an honest smile that crept over my face. Most people didn't recognize anything that great about me. It was... well flattering. "But thanks anyway."

I tried to hold back the need to say something more. Because so far, Vlad was showing me quite a large _dollop_ of respect. I had raised myself correctly, I liked to think, and with Phantom telling me to keep my manners acceptable it was almost **too easy** to wait for a response after his kind words.

Instead of demanding everything as was my nature.

Vlad had already showed a good portion of his hand by threatening Jack in his hope-dream-memory _Projections_. If I had responded negatively, I'm sure our conversation would be going **very** differently by now.

"I suppose you're wondering how long I've been... in this state?" Vlad gestured to himself. Legs crossed, hand fisted under his chin as he lounged in the chair and waved his hand up and down his body to **make** me look.

I nodded.

"It's been... oh, seventeen years or so. Almost to the date."

Here he chuckled.

"And I remember my first year fondly. Terrible time adapting, I can assure you. Fell through the bed at least _twice_ a day for almost a **month**."

A shake of his head, as he remembered with affectionate. There was something in the action, combined with the humor that made him seem… personable.

_:Humor.:_ Phantom huffed in my mind before settling into our core a little less forcefully. _:I wouldn't guess that of him.:_

I paused, my tense shoulders loosing their rigidness. Well, there he went again. Throwing my knowledge of what a possible older Halfa would be like out the window. He was older, of course, more knowledgeable – but already there was something about him I couldn't pin down.

And when he finally looked back at me, I could see there was something more there too. Something unfathomable. A hunger that hadn't been there before. But, I kind of believe our faces must have been similar. Mirrors, perhaps, because I could also feel the need to get to know this other Halfa better.

And not just to learn the knowledge that he had in his noggin, but… to squash the fear that wanted to rise up in me at the unknown he was.

Vlad was making it very hard to be totally terrified of him. He was… almost... _friendly_.

I'd never had any kind of friend older than me.

Adults just weren't to be trusted.

Thankfully, there were no other adults to see this betrayal of my own rules. And I decided that if we were going to be trapped, we might as well dive into it. Dangers be damned.

_:He's just toying with us.:_ Phantom said, watching Vlad carefully and analyzing his every move.

_:Compared to my parents?:_

_:They are different.: _

_:All the same,: _I said, as I watched Vlad watch me. _:I think I **like** this manipulation better.:_

Phantom agreed, his voice overlapping with Vlad's as the older Halfa said: "Comparing my first month to yours is hardly fair, though. I didn't have to worry about ghost-hunting buffoons walking in on me having difficulty staying visible and tangible."

"You can say that again," I said before I caught myself.

Vlad didn't even try and lower his brow. "I'd rather not... and I believe you would rather not, as well."

"If dinner was any indication of your feelings on the matter, anyway, Daniella."

I found myself nodding minutely, before stopping myself.

The way he slowed down, as if to savor either my expression or the words about to be spoken, made me stiffened. Lifting my eyes from where they had wandered. Down from his eyes to his collar and now back again. There was no outward malice on his face.

Plus, I remembered the dreams and hopes he had projected towards me. He wasn't a friend of Jack.

_:He's probably the only one I can bitch about them to.:_ I said to phantom.

_:I agree with that.:_ Phantom said. _:And considering that the bitterness we were feeling through the __**Projections**__, and the loneliness ...:_

I knew where this was going when Phantom's voice became glazed and subdued. The ghostly quality kicking up a notch.

_:Really it's a surprise Jack **isn't** dead a few times over. Or in a grave, still alive scratching at the surface of the coffin. Pleading for someone to come and save him. Oh! maybe he'd be slowly losing the air that is in the coffin and-:_

_:Phantom!:_ I reprimanded. Well aware that the best way to get rid of the bloodlust was just to allow him to tear something apart. _:__**Focus**__. Don't let your ghost instincts control you .:_

He righted himself with a shake and a sigh. _.:Apologies. But do you think should you bitch to him about your problems, especially with that in mind?:_

I was never really good with... 'should's and 'shouldn't's. I followed Phantom's advice, and only allowed most of my distaste for them show.

"They're complete asses. End of story." I ended up revealing. Which wasn't much of a reveal.

_:If only.: _Phantom said.

_:Thanks for that Phantom, really helping.:_I said.

_:I live to serve.:_

"I take it you and your parents don't see eye to eye on many things than?" Vlad asked, stippling his fingers in front of himself like I'd seen in every single villain in every single movie do. Except, when he did it, he made it seem more like a psychiatrist. Harmless.

"You could say that." I tried, very hard, might I add, to keep the bitterness from my voice.

I failed.

"And what did they do, to make it that way?"

_:We're giving away too much information.:_ Phantom said. _:Ask him something. Don't answer his question.:_

_:And how do you propose I do that without somehow pissing him off? In case you've forgotten – he's a fucking Halfa too, Phantom.:_

_:Quid Pro Quo.: _

Oh.

That could work. If Masters knew what it meant. Then again, most masters of word play knew the term.

I repeated it, instead of answering Vlad's question. He cocked his head to the side as he smiled. (How on earth did a man have so many different smiles?) This one was full of promise, and if at all possible – intrigue.

"Very well. I suppose that is more than fair. I have been cornering the conversation up until this point after all... Go on then. _Shoot_."

With so many questions to ask, I asked the one that was most burning in my gut. Pushing away my unease for just how quickly he had allowed the sharing of information to be bent.

"If you and my mother are the same age, and the same brand of genius, seventeen years ago would have been your senior year... How did you get turned into what you are now, with those two as any kind of _friends_?" My voice was way-beyond curious

It seemed that since we'd spoken the name of Halfa only once, on both our behalf's, that it was not necessary to bring it up again. And even though Vlad's eyes hardened into diamonds at the pointed question, he nodded.

"Fair is fair. One moment though." Vlad reached across to the table and picked up a phone. A slim cell phone, probably some kind of touch-screen if I knew Masters as I thought I did. Mine was only a flip-phone.

"I'm feeling a bit parched, and this story is not short. Would you care for some tea?"

Blinking dumbly, I nodded just once. "I don't like anything too strong... Earl Gray? Lots of sugar?"

"Classic, and do-able." He pressed a few buttons and then we were left waiting. "Clarice shall be up in but a moment."

"Clarice?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.

Who named their child Clarice? What was this, the fifties?

I couldn't really point fingers though. I was supposed to be a boy, and when **that** hadn't worked out they'd simply changed Danny into the feminine version I was. Adding an 'a' instead of an 'e' at the end to make it **twice** as feminine. Yes. Everyone and their uncle is aware that Jack was the one who suggested it.

"You'll recognize her. Unless you were too busy ignoring and driving your parents up the wall at dinner."

"I wasn't actively _trying_ to piss them off."

_:Not today at least.:_

_:Tomorrow though... __**well**__, that's a new day.: _Phantom quipped.

The silence was comfortable, as if we'd reached a stand-still. Then again, I had invoked quid pro quo. He had to answer first before I asked another. Or he was allowed another.

So we sat. Observing one another. Even though I was also lost in my thoughts with Phantom.

_:He can answer quite a few questions we've been meaning to ask.:_ Phantom said.

I snorted. _:Probably. But Phantom... I don't think he's got another soul inside him. He's too...:_

_:Calculated?:_

_:Alone.:_

_:There are other things than our unique situation we can ask about.: _

_:Like?:_

_:The Ghost King and why he told us we were not to be Marked, for instance.:_

_:Yeah. Somehow I don't think that's going to stand under any kind of scrutiny if we were to ask him.:_

There was a knock on the door and the maid, dressed in an adorable maids-outfit walked in with a tray balanced on a careful hand. It had a teapot, two cups, and a variety of smaller vessels. I blinked as she came in quickly, placed the tray down, and retreated. The door shut with a click and I wondered to Phantom if that was how our fate would be sealed.

She hadn't said a word.

Vlad and I moved on autopilot for a moment, readying our tea. He let his bag sit too long, and I didn't allow mine to sit very long at all. For a blinding moment, it was such a normal thing, I actually said: "Sugar?"

And he actually said **_yes_**.

_:I feel like we're becoming self aware or something.:_

_:I'm going with __**or something**__.:_

I only managed one sip before Vlad started.

"It was your _father's_ fault."

The tea was kept in my mouth, but it was a close call. The voice had cut through the silence like a thunder-clap. It was just as abrupt, too. The words were short and choppy, and I identified the tone of anger immediately.

I tucked my feet into the side of the chair, up on the cushion with me, as I readied for a good story. It also showed, somewhat, my good will that I was willing to get comfortable and listen. Something I think he knew just from a glance. He didn't smile though, in fact his usual easy facial expression was a little pinched.

"It was our senior year of college, as you know," Vlad said, his hand wrapped around the cup in a death grip, but somehow he still managed to make it look as if he was merely holding the poor thing. "Our final semester consisted of one last project. A pass or failing grade would be given with its completion. Jack, Maddie, and I all decided we would create a ghost portal. Similar to the one your parents have now but much less... **rudimentary**."

If he noticed my shiver at the mention of the accursed device, he didn't comment.

"We were only college students at the time. Only just delving into the _politics_ of ghostly-apparatus and theirs **costs**. So while your parents and I worked on the theoretical side in our lab hours, at night we were collecting material from garbage cans to make the frame for the portal. What we found consisted of coke-cans, bottles, pipes, the spare bits of metal from loft-beds that had been tossed, and more dreadful crap."

Vlad smiled at the memory.

"The three most brilliant people the campus had ever seen? Working on this one project?" He scoffed. "The theory was the most sound of our grade, which was enough to pass. But, of course, we had to try for the full 'she-bang'."

The way he used 'slang' seemed so out of place I almost interrupted him, but didn't as his face darkened.

"Too bad theory doesn't hold up in the real world."

At this point, his lips turned into a snarl as he continued to talk, the animosity for my father spilling forth. I was enraptured by his voice. The authority-tone he managed to convey in such short choppy sentences had me blinking as the intensity turned from three to ten. It was hard to image this man as old and crummy as my parents.

The fact that they were the same age just seemed so...

_:Sad?:_ Phantom supplied.

_:Yeah. A fucking travesty.:_

_:He's not the dinosaur your parents are. Even at only forty years of age.:_

Since he looked like he must have when the accident happened; I hoped that didn't mean I would be forever stuck as a small child of fourteen.I didn't have any 'assets' as my friend Sam had labeled body parts that attract the male kind. I wouldn't have any hope in this world.

Phantom snorted at that.

Ignoring Phantom, I said. "I'm guessing this is where the good part happens?"

Vlad smiled, a tiny upturns of the lips. "Oh yes. I promised excitement, after all."

"Can hardly wait."

He chuckled, and looked younger for it. Knowing that my mother had been so young and guessing that Vlad had probably been the same, Phantom kept repeating what was already know: That Vlad didn't look a day over twenty-two. Which was probably when the accident happened.

Vlad rubbed his brow as he brought up what was probably the most painful day of his life.

"It was once again your father."

It amused me that Vlad caught onto the fact that I disliked my father. Knowing he had been the one _Projecting_ what I had seen made it a little more... manipulated.

"Excited and bumbling like usual. It was always him who ruined it, when something was to be ruined. At the time, I was very much his _best friend_. So I trusted that he wouldn't change any variables or equations without first checking with at least Maddie. At the very least."

The way he said best friend, sounded like poison was touching his lips. I leaned forward subconsciously as I listened.

"Honestly, the mistake was completely idiotic. Your father jumped a few steps ahead in the procedure. He switched a few chemicals around, effectively reversing the polarity of the- oh you don't much care for that, do you?"

He must have noticed my glazed eyed look.

"I didn't actually _pass_ chemistry." I admitted, thankful he didn't go all scientifically-babbling at me. Jazz and most other people weren't that kind.

"Then I shan't put you through it." Vlad said, kindly. And I believe it was true kindness. "Simply put: He messed up the recipe and instead of a portal we brought together an explosion."

I winced.

"You were caught in the cross-hairs, I'm guessing?" It wasn't a hard guess.

"I had my upper half inside the portal when the elements were mixed. So, yes. The cross-hairs is as good as any term to use for it."

Yikes.

_:That explains the half-dead part.: _Phantom said.

_:More than.: _I said back.

"When I came to, I was in the hospital. There I had the misfortune of staying for a rather long time. Alone."

"Wait," I said, puzzled. "But you said my parents were there. And your _best friends_ –"

Knowing my parents, it didn't take long for it to click.

"_They didn't fucking visit you_?"

I dawned on me mid sentence and my anger showed.

_:I knew my parents were very self-centered, but this?:_

_:Your parents are turning out to be rather horrible people.:_ Phantom snarled, on Vlad's behalf. _:Even before you were born it seems.:_

It slapped me in the face.

:_Holy shit they didn't just do it to me.:_

Vlad said, oblivious to my conversation with Phantom. "A horrible realization to take in, along with the ghostly powers, wouldn't you say?"

I nodded, keeping tabs on my anger. If my fist strangled the fabric under it, however stiff it had been, I tried not to notice. It dawned on Phantom first, before me, that Vlad had also just tested us.

A horrible realization of my parents being what I knew them for?

A good daughter wouldn't allow them to be dragged through the mud. And _dammit_, Vlad knew I had just drawn the line of where I stood on them. Not speaking in their defense. Not _trying_ defend them.

But… we could also be wrong. Vlad was also the only other Halfa. Perhaps… Perhaps misery loves company.

With a smile, Vlad opened his arms wide, a gesture as if he wanted a hug, but I knew that I was just as if he was saying 'whallah'. "Ah, but here I am. The product of your father's idiocy. A fate, I think, we both share."

It was an open ended question that wasn't even a question. But Vlad had shared, so I would also. I'd invoked quid pro quo for a reason, after all.

_:Not too much.: _Phantom said.

_:I'm not going to bleed us dry. Just our start, without you of course. Maybe even garner some pity points.:_

Phantom accepted that.

"And your accident?" Vlad asked. "Tit-for-tat, I believe would be the next best question."

I nodded and sprang right into it. Not wanting to dwell.

"It didn't start with my father. Not directly. Not this time, at least." I began, taking a sip of my tea that had cooled rapidly to start spinning my yarn.

It tasted too cold but I drank it. "It was all my fault. Simply because I was curious and bored."

Vlad placed his empty tea-cup to the side as he listened intently. Almost unnerving as he didn't blink.

"My parents had been complaining all week about their stupid portal not working. Not an odd thing, really, just out of sorts for them. They are always down in the lab, hardly ever topside. In fact, this was one of the only times they were ever **out** of their lab. And, well, I've always been a little... **unstable, **I guess you could say, when it comes to their _attention_ towards me."

I could tell Vlad didn't know, but was listening, so I elaborated.

"See most days I'm alone and in need of something to do, right? Jazz refused to play _Monopoly_ with me because she had an essay to write. Parents were out of the house. My friends were doing homework and promised we would hang out in a few hours... What else was I to do but snoop?"

I was good at snooping now, with Phantom, but before I had been such a novice. If my parents would have had any number of security systems installed, I wouldn't be where I was now and Phantom would still be a run-away.

"That day, I found that the door to their lab was unlocked. And I, being the curious child that I am, went down the rabbit hole."

I was proud of that literary reference. Alice in Wonderland was the only book on my shelve that I had read more than once. The last time only a few weeks ago. There was something about her own plight that called to Phantom, and he read it on his own when I was alone with my thoughts.

"Their lab smells awful, by the way." I grimaced, both from remembering the smell and the dregs of tea I had gotten in my last gulp of tea. "They have a boat load of crap down there, so it doesn't surprise me that it smells. Just that it hasn't **rotted**. The experiments and inventions... I kept away from. There is _no_ good reason for me to touch them. Not to see what they do and certainly not because the ghosts would fucking smell it on me."

_:We have other things to do besides touch all that vile equipment.: _Phantom snarled.

"I've heard of how amazingly they work." Vlad said, relaxing into the chair. "Ghosts give them... _glowing_ reviews."

"Too well." I confirmed, continuing, trying not to hang onto the fact that Vlad talked to the other ghosts. "They work way too well."

That was **one** way to say it.

"I saw the portal, a big giant circle with all manner of bits and pieces coming out of it," I continued. "It wasn't finished, far from it actually, but knew this was what my parents were having trouble with. A stupid portal to another world. I was a sceptic at the time. Hadn't seen a ghost, therefore they didn't exist. The one thing my parents wanted to work more than they wanted to breath, and I didn't believe it was worth anything."

I smiled sardonically.

"I want to say that the rest is history, but it really isn't. I don't think about that day very often, mostly because my parents are complete buffoons. Still looking back, its hard to believe that my parents had created something so innocently dangerous. What I know now makes it easier to swallow."

"How did you get the Portal to work?" Vlad asked. "What on earth did they miss?"

Here came the kicker.

"The on switch, of course." I answered.

"No..." Vlad almost chuckled. He probably would have if the outcome hadn't been me half-dying. "They forgot to turn it on?"

_:Kind of sad, huh?:_ Phantom said. We'd talked about how stupid our accident really had been. How circumstantial.

"Unfortunately, and kind of fortunately, yeah. The placement, probably my father's, made it all the more... unique of a situation."

Vlad, in a bow to his intelligence, knew immediately what had happened. "Don't tell me they put it on the inside... Maddie wouldn't have allowed such a stupid oversight- _they did."_

It was kind of amusing to see Vlad Masters, the richest person I'd ever met, slap a hand to his face in pure resignation to the fates. Less amusing when he gave my mother such a huge oversight.

Jack wasn't the sole person to blame for my upbringing. Nor the placement.

I think.

"Ohhh, who in their right mind does that? Jack! That's who."

"I don't know. They both looked it over." I said, trying not to sound bitter. The pain was a remembered thing, and I had Phantom because of it – but it still hurt to know my parents were the ones to blame. "The end result was also something they probably never thought would come to be in a million years."

Vlad looked me over, as if trying to truly see me.

"What is the relationship of your parents and yourself?" Vlad asked.

"Isn't it my turn to ask a question?" I responded.

He smiled and beckoned me ahead with a flourish of his hand.

"Sorry. Getting ahead of myself. Ask away, my dear,"

_:I'm asking about Maddie.:_

_:You're crazy.: _Phantom responded_. :Just watching his reaction I'm betting there was some kind of... __**relationship**__.:_

_:Everyone has a relationship with people, Phantom.: _I said.

_:You know what I mean.:_

And I did. But it did not stop me from asking, twirling my cup in my hand self-consciously.

"It's obvious you hate my father... maybe more than I do. But what about my mom?"

A pause. A deep breath. Vlad's eyes went cold.

"In college we dated briefly. We broke up. They never visited me in the hospital, but they were oh so kind to send me an invitation to the wedding." Vlad said. But said no more to clarify.

"That's it?" I asked.

"Is that another question?"

"No..."

"That's my relationship with your mother," Vlad said, rolling his eyes. "Now, if you'd be so kind. Tell me about your parents."

I felt a little put off that he didn't tell all he felt about my mother, but I also knew that it was probably a sore subject if they had dated and she had picked my father over him. Especially since she picked Jack over him. _Geesh,_ that had an even more squich-factor than ever.

Unlike Vlad though, I had no qualms about dragging my father and mother through the dirt. It's just not many people had been curious about me enough to ask.

"As if you couldn't guess, my father and mother are not the best role models." I began, feeling Phantom blanket me in a warm mind melt. It gave me the strength to continue.

"For most of my life, they've been either indifferent to me or ignored me. I can guess the reasons, but I really don't have to when they tell me how busy they are in the lab all the time."

Vlad narrowed his eyes. "And this has never been a problem for them?"

"**Ghosts are the problem**," I said in a cheap mimic of Jack's voice. "They always say. It's gotten pretty ironic in the last few months, but it's been their motto my entire life. I'm not expecting it to change just because I manage to grow up without them noticing."

I wasn't breathing heavy, but I felt like I was. Inside my mind, anyway. As much as it wasn't physically exhausting talking about my parents, it was very much so mentally. Mostly because I always had to dredge up past wounds and pretend they didn't hurt. And since I didn't do this often, the hurt stayed for a long while.

"Have you ever thought of revenge?" Vlad asked, as I calmed down. "Against your parents."

"What, like twirling mustache and tying my father to a set of rail-road tracks, revenge?" I responded, forgetting momentarily that we were supposed to be trading questions. "Or like whatever projections you sent towards me?"

He smiled, a fanged smile, and said, "Not quite what I had in mind. Those were simply to test you, anyway."

It was far easier than it should have been to brush off the fact he was testing us by throwing images of him killing and destroying my father and taking my mother as his own. It was too easy to throw off those thoughts.

Curiosity piqued, both Phantom's and my own, we leaned forward. "Then what?"

Vlad closed off a bit, leaning backwards and sipping his tea that was most assuredly cold.

"Well, my dear, I can't reveal too much, not until I have your sworn promise you will not interfere. Or your promise that you will help... if you so wish."

_:Hmm,: _Phantom hummed.

_:What does that mean?:_

And I asked as much out loud.

"You're a wild card, Daniella." Vlad admitted, as if it was no great secret. "Your sister as well, but not as much as you pose to be. I knew the oaf and Maddie had had children, but you both were a shock. A half-ghost half-human girl, who I had no knowledge of and a book-worm."

"A wild card, huh? Me?" I said, snorting to myself. _He had no idea._ "Go on."

"You must understand, Daniella," I narrowed my eyes as he effectively switched into 'adult-condescending' mode. "You are not what I imagined Maddie's and Jack's daughter to be."

"Oh yeah?" I said, putting as much bravo into my actions as I could as I leaned back as well.

"Very much so."

"And this... unimagined _me_, as you say, is a problem?" I asked. Phantom snarling at the implications. Vlad had been very pleasant up until now. As far as I could tell, neither of us had lied, either.

"The opposite, I assure you."

I cocked my head, befuddle.

"When you and your sister walked in, trailing your buffoon of a father and your beautiful mother, I was very much ready to begin my plans then and there." Vlad laughed at my expression. It had been a long time since anyone but my father had called my mother beautiful.

:_There is more there than meets the eye._: Phantom said. Then again, Phantom didn't find my mother even kind of attractive. And if a century old ghost didn't find someone attractive... well. Actually that was a horrible argument. Maddie just wasn't beautiful.

"You really have to imagine my surprise when I caught the scent of a girl who smells more like a _library_ than a human and another, younger girl who smells more like **me** than her own mother. More like me than a human should have any right to."

Phantom and I were speechless.

"You've known since I first walked in?" I demanded.

"Yes." Vlad said.

Such a simple answer, but it really threw me for a loop.

"You had no idea about me. I could have been volatile!... So why'd you _Project_ at me so strongly?" I asked, mind turning a hundred miles an hour. "I could have been a **daddies** girl for all you knew. I might have tossed my cookies at those images you projected."

Vlad raised the teacup to the table. "But you weren't. And you very much have kept your '_cookies'_."

I didn't know what to say. Very much less, what I should do. Especially as Vlad offered me a chance for revenge that nobody else, not even the Ghost King, had offered me.

_:He has us right where he wants us.: _Phantom said, darkly.

_:Yes, but technically... it will all work out in our favor.: _I said right back.

_:He could take Jack out of the picture.:_

_:We're running in a few days anyway...: _I said. :_It shouldn't matter that Jack is out of the house – but it should create the perfect __**environment**__ for a run-away mindset for any social worker to believe should we ever be caught...:_

The only other person like me, who was most probably ten times stronger than me, was scared I would ruin his plan at total revenge? If I was _any_ other child, and if Jack was any other child's parent- I might have considered it. Ruining Vlad's plan an turning out the kindness he had provided.

"I won't stop you." I said, with Phantom's blessing. We both knew this could be our break. "I won't interfere. But I want to hear about it. Your plan... _Perhaps_ I'll want to be involved."

Phantom especially wanted to that was for sure.

"Excellent." Vlad lit up with joy and smiled. He tried to look through us, but Phantom and I both chuckled at that. Looking through someone who was practically schizophrenic? Good luck Vlad.

"But first, I must ask," Vlad said, "How far are you willing to go?"

I thought back, as Vlad asked that, to when I was younger. Vlad may have had years to deal with his loss of humanity and to get used to what he was now – but I was still very young. A Halfa of _only_ **almost** four months.

Phantom and I were a baby at being what we were.

And when I had been just human, younger, I had been a baby with no one. I was only a child at the time I started understanding that my parents were not very good at their '_duty_' as most other parents called it.

I was eight when I realized, a broken heart along with it, that nobody would love me as they should have. That my father and mother both were completely at ease with just ignoring me. And I learned how to ignore them, too. When they tried to buy our love with money, I had taken it. Jazz too, because she knew the value of an education later in her life. When they had locked themselves in their lab with a food supply for a week, it was easy to forget about them and do my own thing. Much easier than looking at them every day and watching them see through me.

When they used that four letter word that I loathed to hear from their mouths, in drops of pity-duty, I stopped listening. 'Love' as they said it, sounded like a poison that was slowly killing me – not giving me life.

And perhaps that was where it all stemmed from. The inability I had to accept the love my family was trying to give me.

"I'm willing to go as far as it needs to go to get them out of my life." I answered, still not quite sure how I could explain it to myself or even to Phantom **why**. To ruin their lives... it would give me a satisfaction few other things would.

"It will just be Jack that we are destroying," Vlad warned, suddenly. "I have... other plans for your mother."

I tried not to notice how passionately he said that, and how his voice deepened. It was one thing to know I would be avenged on the father side – but to know Vlad still held some kind of feelings for Maddie?

I shivered but nodded. To show I listened. Half the equation was more than enough to even the playing field in my own household. One parent down? I had a long time to go before I had to worry about anything **else**. Maddie would come later.

"Do you want to hear the plan now, little badger?" Vlad asked, as if noticing my funk.

"Little... _badger_?" I asked quizzically. What kind of endearment was that?

"Something my father used to call me," Vlad smirked, something hidden behind his smile. "I think it suits you. Badgers are rather... fierce little animals. Don't you think, _little badger_?"

Nobody had ever given me a nickname that was... nice. 'Fenturd' and 'Dumb Danni' were the most popular, so it was a nice shock to hear something with a good connotation behind it. _Danni_ and _Ella_ were just variations of my name.

"I can live with it." I told him, honestly. Surprising myself.

Vlad nodded and then sat there for a long moment. Still as a statue, as if he was deciding how much to tell me. I found myself yawning as I waited for him. His eyes flickered towards the corner of the room.

"Oh dear, I had not realize how late it had gotten..."

I blinked, not expecting **that**, before looking towards the clock as it chimed softly – so softly I hadn't been paying it any mind. It read almost one in the morning.

"Well, shit." I said, with wide eyes. It hardly felt that late. I felt marginally tired, but then again Phantom and I had a weird sleep schedule.

Vlad was getting up when I looked at him, rearranging his coat and buttons into a more straight line. His left hand then reached into the folds of his jacket. Since we had spend the past almost hour hours talking and just kind of in each others presence, neither Phantom or I took it as a sign of aggression. We were not wrong.

He took out a sizable book.

_:Where the hell has __**that**__ been?: _Phantom demanded, shocked.

I hadn't a clue.

_:There is no way he had that in his jacket this whole time... what is he? Like board thin?:_

"I feel you may need sleep, so I'll leave you with this," Vlad handed me the book, stepping close enough that I could get a whiff of his cologne. "And the promise to return tomorrow night to finish our talk."

I took the book grudgingly, and it was surprisingly not as heavy as it looked. Nor as… _human_ as it should. The glow of green was light and faint.

"What is it?"

Vlad did not smile. In fact he did the complete opposite. "Something I think you'll find enlightening... if not a little off putting. You should read it before tomorrow night, if time permits you. It will... shed light on a situation I believe you to be knowledgeable about."

I narrowed my eyes but nodded as I looked over the bare-covered book. It looked thick, but not all that weighty.

We had nothing but time. Even if that sentence was the most cryptic thing I had heard all night.

"Sorry to leave you hanging, little badger," Vlad apologized as he started towards the door. "I'll tell you all about my plans tomorrow night. Perhaps we can also giving a little show... mine for yours and all that."

My mind took a turn into the gutter.

_:What on earth does he mean?: _I demanded from Phantom who merely sighed.

_:My form.: _

I blankly waited for him to continue.

_:He wants to see our ghost side. His other form, for our other form. A trade off.:_

_:Oh.:_

"Tomorrow night then Mister Ma- Vlad." I stopped myself from saying his full name. He had requested I say his first name anyway.

"Good night, little badger."

And the door closed with a finality that made me think we had made a miss-step sometime during our talk. Like we had left the playing field leveled in Vlad's favor. Which was ridiculous because he still didn't know about Phantom.

_:He is older than you. There is that, Danni.:_ Phantom said. _:He's always going to have the upper hand. We can just have a few... surprises to make our pot sweeter.:_

I still didn't like that we were on un-even footing.

Phantom and I stayed up a little while longer, staring at the book.

"What do you think it is?" I asked, turning it over.

_:Well, you could **open** it and see.:_

"And ruin the surprise?" I asked playfully, with a yawn cutting off the end of the last word. Getting up, I started towards the bed and snagged a pair of pajama bottoms, the warmest pair I had.

_:He gave it to us to read...: _Phantom drawled, just as I slide under the covers. _:So, perhaps we should?:_

"True, but I'm tired." The magic of a warm bed called out to me even as the frigid covers rose in temperature with me in them.

_:Then go to sleep.:_ Phantom said, and I could feel the mental eye roll. :_The book isn't going anywhere._:

And really, I was **excellent** at following orders. So I did just that.

* * *

><p>And there we have it. Any goodbad thoughts?


	4. Just a Matter of Time

**Just a warning:** Danni likes to curse a lot this chapter.

"WORD" Regular dialogue

:WORD: Inner dialogue between Danni and Phantom

* * *

><p><strong>Just a Matter of Time<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"There is more than one way to skin a cat, after all. Even if I personally don't find skinning a cat any kind of fun."<br>_

**-~DP~-**

We woke up the next morning with a head-ache. A minor one, but enough of one to make me wonder what the hell we had done yesterday to warrant it. We'd gotten out of the car at the mansion, parents refusing to say anything to us except that we were visiting one of their old friends, then dinner, then...

It came back.

"**Fuck**." I growled into my pillow, but fairly shouted in my head.

_:Gahk.:_ Phantom said, as I shocked him out of his thoughts, and he momentarily took control of our body to throw my arms up. Which hit a rose on the intricate headboard. _:Holy shit, Danni! __**Don't do that**__.:_

_:Sorry,: _I said, sheepishly. _:Didn't realize you hadn't woken up... fully at least.:_

I rubbed my face, limbs still floppy and weak from sleep. A sharp pain traveled down from my wrist to my elbow and I immediately cradled it with a yelp.

_:I think you **broke** my wrist when you took control.: _I yelled at Phantom, as I sat up, arm still carefully wedged between my chest and other arm. Trying to flex one of the fingers, I was immensely grateful to see them move – even if it hurt like a bitch. _:Or sprained it, at the very least.:_

_:Oops.:_

I growled at him as the cold of the room hit me. It was at least four degrees lower in temperature than in the bed. Which I only knew because ever since Phantom and I became intimately acquainted, the ability to tell temperatures to almost close to half a degree - was there. Kind of like my ability to breath. Innate.

_:It will heal in an hour.:_ Phantom said. Looking through my eyes and feeling through my emotions. He let it go with contempt as he sat back. _:Don't be such a baby.:_

_:Can't believe you really think it's a fucking grand idea to break my wrist while we're in the house of another __**Halfa**__, who – by the way – we still don't know what he totally wants?: _I glanced at my bedside table. _:Or what that book is about.:_

_:You're in a pointing fingers mood, aren't you?: _Phantom said in response, as he settled fully into his place in my cranium.

_:What if I am?:_ I asked as I allowed my arm to lay limply against my leg, straight so it would heal as such. I used the now free hand to snatch up the glowing book. It was as light as it had been the night before.

_:Damn it, you are.:_

"Oh shut it, Phantom." I said with a grumble as I sat the book on the bed. So the spine hit the bed first and opened to the middle. A random page numbered 134. It had a bunch of law-babble written on it, and I dismissed most of it to turn to the very front cover.

_:Did that say beheading?:_ Phantom asked, as the cover page took a moment to reveal, on account I only had one hand to hold it with.

_:Probably.:_ I said dismissively, wrestling with the book. I crowed as I planted my palm on it.

The words looking back read:

**Us and Them: A Ghostly-Spectral-Citizen's Guide to the Law.**

A cold shiver ran down my spine, signaling Phantom's observance and position in my core. Up close and personal. I couldn't blame him, my pulse raced as I fought to turn the page, where it noted the author and a bunch of other babble.

_:The Ghost-Writter?: _Phantom demanded, as if he was remembering a time in his life before he had been sucked into my dying body by way of Portal. _:That pansy?:_

_:Know him?:_ I asked, shocked. Phantom, by ghost standards, had been a loner. Living in the Ghost Zone by will of his own power and running so he was never Marked. Most ghosts, let alone the King, had never heard of him. A ghost among ghosts. With only a few contacts that he choose to use to pepper his lonely afterlife, including the first ghost who had ever met him: Clockwork.

Which brought us almost full circle.

Phantom was mumbling to himself and I only caught the end.

_:A long time ago...:_

Which might have been the turn of the century as much as I knew.

_:He sure rose through the ranks. Last I heard his Master had been almost forty down the ladder from Pariah.:_

I said, as my lip curled. _:Well, looks like he got an upgrade.:_

Phantom was less amused, and a bit more spooked than he was allowing me to read into.

_:A book on the laws of the Ghosts.:_ I murmured to myself, a sinking starting in my stomach. :_What could this possibly hold?:_

Phantom took control for a moment, flipping to the next page which happened to be the index. _:Answers.:_

His-my finger landed on a section, about halfway down the page, peppered next to a number 8. **Halfas and Us.** With only 13 things on the list, all ranging from ghosts to humans, this one was underlined. And started on page 160.

We didn't do anything for a moment, just took in the magnitude of what was in front of us.

Laws. And the laws about us.

"Fuck."

Phantom, not one to swear, followed suit.

How **naïve** of the both of us to think we were above the law, or that the laws about us were not yet made. The Ghost King had just said we were the same as Ghosts, but more powerful. Something we could both attest too. As a human, I was much stronger. And Phantom... well, there was a reason he had stuck to being faster than anyone else and twice as uncatchable.

_:Dangit. Shit. Fuck. Damn it all to hell and __**back**__.:_ I ranted, not even knowing what we would be delving into. Vlad had given this to us, expecting us to know what this meant...

_:Why now? Why this book?:_

_:It's a peace offering...: _Phantom said, abruptly tearing my mind away from my dooms-day view. :_I think.:_

_:How do you mean?:_ I asked, looking down at the book and wondering how painful it would be to turn the page.

_:There is obviously knowledge in here we do not know... And Vlad is giving it to us... so we can learn?:_

I caught on.

_:And you think Vlad is letting us have it? Just like that? We haven't proved __**anything**__ to him yet.:_

A nod, which he didn't elaborate on. Very much mental, but I felt it all the same.

_:Why didn't he just say it?:_

_:I'd bet he's Marked.:_

My shoulders hunched, and my wrist ached as I twitched my fingers. I stared unseeingly at the numbers on the page and the words.

If Vlad was Marked, and he had a Master... That was reason enough why he hadn't been allowed to tell us. Ghosts had been silenced around us for far less.

_:So then there __**is**__ something they've been keeping from us.: _I said, more than aware that if Phantom had been a somewhat normal Ghost, we might have had the upper hand in the political aspect – but he was something much better I thought. Resourceful. Cunning. A wild-card that was as old as civilizations but quiet and more likely to stick to the underground and the seedier parts of the world.

_:Let's not look too far into things... Not until we've read.:_ Phantom suggested, but I could tell his voice was stressed.

So we did. And it was a good thing we did, but I could have lived forever without knowing and been happy.

Then again, it was also a dry read.

I would have been happier if Vlad had simply told us this, even if I understood why he hadn't.

_Halfa's are a renowned and daringly impossible breed of ghost and human. Much is unknown about them and their ilk, especially the way in which they have come to be in our world as well as their human counter-part. Our illustrious and magnificent King of the Ghost Zone, ruler of all, Pariah Dark, has accepted their talents and existence into his kingdom with open arms and an open mind. Much is still being debated about Halfas. One of the most well-known ghosts-human breed is Plasmius, who is-_

_-the illustrious Lord, the King, has announced such that any Halfa, newly born into their life, is fair game after their fourth cycle of life. Giving them less time to adjust than any other ghost in the allotment timing of their Branding-_

_-any Halfa not following the law of Walker, subsection fourteen, index twelve, page three will be lawfully bound to the King himself. Furthermore any Halfa found to be in direct violation of the law of Walker, subsection fourteen, index twenty, page nine will be held accountable for up to one thousand years imprisonment-_

_-These Laws have come into effect on the Winter Cycle's beginning, of the 5903 year of our Kings reign. All persons wishing to delegate for the Halfa breed should do so immediately. Halfas will be considered legal, law abiding denizens after their fifth year-_

Phantom and I both sat back in shock.

_:This changes the game.: _Phantom said, a whisper in my mind because my thoughts were just too loud.

_:When the hell was this published?:_ I asked, suddenly, flipping back to the very front. My sore wrist doing better than it had been before. It wouldn't be more than a few minutes until the pain went away. _:These laws are definitely new... and the ink smells fresh.:_

I landed on the page with the authors name and scoured it for a publishing date.

_:Danni, don't do that to yourself.:_

There was no pity there, but resignation. I allowed a bit of my self-righteous fury to leak through.

_:The King __**lied**__ to us, I think I can __**do**__ what I want.:_ I found the date, quickly converted it between the time I knew from Phantom's knowledge and now. Ghost time to human time was a little wonky, but if I had it right – it was two months ago.

Early July. It was now October, going on November.

_:A week after we visited the palace...:_ Phantom said in awe, scratching out the anger. Turning it sour, too.

I groaned, and slapped a hand to my forehead. _:I'm impressed that they were able to work that fast... __**Pissed**__. But impressed.:_

The anger slowly ran through my fingers and I found I couldn't hold onto it as well as I had been able to only moments before. A new emotion, a feeling, took its place. Uncertainty. Fear. Perhaps both wrapped together. It made me shiver as though I had been touched by a ghostly hand.

My wrist was fully healed, which meant an approximate hour had passed from whenever we had risen. I took a gander near the heavy curtains and noticed the faint light seeping through. Not even trying to stop, I allowed myself to groan and land heavily on the bed.

_:We could run now.: _Phantom suggested.

_:Looking like a coward to one of the people who might try and hunt us in the coming months?:_

_:You're talking to a coward, Danni. That's how I survive.: _Phantom said, stiffly.

_:I didn't mean that.: _And I hadn't. Phantom could get pretty touchy about his before-after-life, before me._ :I just mean... I have no grand-picture or illusion that he __**won't**__ hunt us down... God Phantom, I thought we were _safe_.:_

I pushed forward an image that was running rampant in my mind. Vlad was _powerful_ and chasing us halfway across the globe while we were on our last leg. Everything would hurt. We'd be running for a long time before anyone caught us. Survival would be our middle names, but it would be hard. It would be new, too, because we ourselves were new.

_:Doesn't sound appetizing.: _Phantom sighed.

_:For once... I agree.:_

_:This is such a shit-storm we've gotten ourselves into.: _I responded._ :We haven't even had this much crap to deal with since that time with... what was her name? Blue flaming, hair girl?:_

_:You think I remember?:_

_:You do better with faces than I do.:_

_:I don't recall her __**name**__, Danni. Just that we accidentally broke her guitar and she went crazier than the Box-ghost without his boxes.:_

_:Well, it doesn't matter.: _I said, dismissively, but feeling a little lighter at the topic. _:It's a shit storm, we've landed ourselves into it, and it kind of sucks. Same situation as last time but this is a bit more... large scale?:_

Phantom tried to laugh, but it came out self-deprecating and harsh. _:You're comparing a food-fight to being hunted down like a prized stag:_

_:Okay, so maybe its a tad-:_

We were cut off by a knock on the door. And puzzled, I looked towards the drapes again. There was enough sunshine to tell me it was earlier than I really should allow people to know I was awake at.

It worked better when people assumed I slept till twelve just because I was a troubled child. When in reality four hours was all I needed, I just preferred something a little more... leisurely. Phantom as well. Plus, I just didn't like people assuming things about me.

_:It's like ten.:_ Phantom complained.

The banging continued and I forced myself to get up. "Coming. Coming."

_:If it's Vlad, slam the door on his face, please.:_ Phantom said.

_:With pleasure.:_ I promised.

Sadly, it was not Vlad at the door. More surprisingly, it was the one person in the entire house I wanted to see at all hours of the day and every day after.

"Jazz." I blinked back the surprise in my voice.

She was standing outside the door, her fist raised as if she was about to knock again. She looked a little tired, but that was to be expected. Jack's driving did that to us. Her auburn hair was sleek though, so I knew she had at least taken a shower – which was much more than I could say for me.

"Danni!" She exclaimed, with a bright smile that tugged at her tired eyes. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, not at all." I said, self-consciously tugging a hand through my hair. Now all I could think about was a nice long shower. Hot, too.

_:Pass.:_ Phantom grumbled.

_:You always pass.:_

Considering he had a good story behind it, still didn't take away from the fact that Phantom had some kind of weird aversion to water.

"Well, I was sent to get you for brunch." Jazz said, an apologetic smile on her face as she shrugged. "It's in an hour but...Mom and dad's orders. They want us to give a good... impression for Mr. Masters."

I groaned out loud. Of course the parents would go on Nazi mode. Now that I had met Vlad, it seemed even easier to understand why. "Idiots. I'm taking a shower then, come on in."

I paused. "I mean, if you want to wait for me, anyway-"

She rolled her eyes but entered into the room. "We're in this craziness together, if nothing else."

Looking around, she then whistled low. "_You_ got a nice room. It's even got a little fireplace – nice."

"Did you not get one?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I walked back over towards the bed where my suitcase was popped open. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and noticed the book was still out.

Well. Crap.

_:She can't see that.: _Phantom hissed. _:She wouldn't understand. Can't understand:_

It was the one thing Phantom and I agreed on vehemently - Jazz was not to know that my parents actually had a leg to stand on ghost wise. And even if that meant keeping myself and all I was away from her: Then so be it.

Jazz was shaking her head behind me as we both came closer to the bed. "It's a nice room, yours is just a little more... grand. I guess."

Here she smiled and that was the exact moment I reached the bed. I flipped the book up underneath my shirt and then turned towards my suitcase to pull it towards me.

It worked well enough that Jazz just flopped on the edge of the bed and began to talk to me.

"You know, I know you've heard me say this, but this road-trip hasn't been all that bad." Her voice was too cheery and I knew immediately that she had been put up to this by either one or both of our parents. She sounded hesitant to even try and talk 'good' about this entire disaster. "I mean, sure, we haven't exactly gotten a lot of sleep – and, well, don't even **mention** Minnesota, but it's been fun. I've gotten to read almost my entire collection that I've brought and -"

"Save it, Jazz." I said as I pulled out my clothes for the day, including all new under things. The bra I had been wearing was on its third leg already. "This road-trip has been one giant waste of time."

_:Amusingly enough, this is the part you're lying about.: _Phantom snorted to himself. _:Somewhere, someone's laughing.:_

_:Just because we met Vlad and subsequently learned about all the shit that is coming our way – doesn't mean anything.:_

_:Except perhaps our __**freedom**__. You know, that thing we like?:_

Sometimes, I wanted to punch Phantom.

"It hasn't been a total disaster!" Jazz protested as soon as I grabbed a pair of jeans and turned to her. "I mean, we would never have learned about this side of mom and dads history if it hadn't been for Mr. Masters hosting his party tomorrow."

I almost dropped my clothes. "What? What party?"

Jazz rolled her eyes. "Were you really not listening? There you go again, Danni."

"I listen," I defended, knowing I didn't. "Just might have missed that tiny detail..."

"Dad has literally been singing the entire trip – 'Goin' to Vladdies house, Vladdies house, Vladdies house. Going to Vladdies house cause he's g_onna have a really huge important party_!'"

The fact that I could remember the tune and had just pushed it away as another random and stupid song made me blush, and rub the back of my neck.

_:You missed it too?: _I asked Phantom. Accusing us both at the same time.

Phantom sniffed._ :I don't listen to the oaf.:_

Well. That was... awkward. Man, we suck at this whole survival thing already if we missed important details like that.

"Sorry. I guess I just kind of tuned it out?"

Jazz sighed but nodded, then proceeded to tell me what the party was about. "Mr. Masters has reached one billion dollars in revenue for this quarter and wanted to celebrate. There was also talk that it was his birthday on the twentieth. Two birds, one stone."

_:We listen to everything from now on?:_ I said to Phantom.

_:Fine,:_ He said, begrudging me that. _:Even if that is __**impossible**__ in our current state. We will listen.:_

"I guess it's a good thing I brought my 'little' blue dress, And heels." I mumbled to myself as I closed the suitcase and stood back up. Hiding the fact that I was actually quite stoked to wear them. It wasn't every day, after all, that dweebie-girl Fenton got to look pretty.

"You know Mom forced us both to bring something." Jazz said as she settled on my bed to wait for me. "Did it really not occur to you that we actually had a destination in mind?"

I snorted. "The way _mom_ and _dad_ do things doesn't make sense. If we made it out of the state, I was considering that good luck. If we were on the road. Better luck. If we didn't die. Well call the news-station, we've got them a story!"

Scooping up the rest of my washing products, all enclosed in a gallon zip-lock bag, I moved to the bathroom.

"Don't snoop!" I called out as I closed the door.

"Crazy little Ella," Jazz mumbled with fondness, not knowing I could hear her. "But always right on. Mom and Dad... what on earth did you do...?"

I had been setting my stuff down and just idly listening to her talk, trying to do better on the whole we-don't-listen-as-well-as-we-should thing. I hadn't meant to hear her say that, but now that I had, I turned the water on to warm it up and then crept back to the door – trying to hear something else. Another tid-bit into my sisters mind.

"- First with the skipping school, and now the silence, and further more... gah! The disregard for **them**. I mean, I know they kind of _suck_ at being good parents, but they haven't forgotten us that often... Alright, this _year_. They haven't forgotten us much this _year_."

She was just rambling to herself. In a place she thought no one else could hear her.

_What did that mean? _I wondered, Phantom listening in the background as I stepped into the shower. Jazz held no hero-worshiping ways about my parents. She thought they were as whacked-out as I thought they were. For differing reasons, but enough of it was simply similarity at work that we got along splendidly.

Most days.

We were siblings, after all. We had our spats and cat-fights. Over the usual girl things like the bathroom, winning at a border-game, who was making dinner because our emotionally compromising parents hadn't been seen all day, and, of course, which one of us was washing dishes and laundry? They'd lessen over the years as we both went to school and saw less of each other – but our relationship really hadn't changed.

Our parents sucked, and we had had to rely on each other. A co-dependency that should have been on them had been thrust to the two of us.

_:She's the only constant in your life._: Phantom said, helping along my thoughts as I became stuck.

_:The only good constant. Besides you, but do you count as a constant – if you're only in my head?:_

_:I don't mean like now, Danni,: _Phantom said. _:I meant, as in, she has been there your __**entire life**__ as an entity of good. Where your parents have fluctuated so much it just doesn't connect to them.:_

"I hate this." I muttered to myself as I finished washing. Getting out of the shower and pulling along a towel, I tried to get back onto a subject that still was important.

_:What on earth are we going to do about Vlad?:_ I said, shivering in the puffy-steam of the after shower as I swiped the mirror clean.

_:He's going to know we read the book... Or at least the part about us. It's going to be clear.:_ Phantom said, as I stared into my reflection.

A shower did wonders for my completion and the oil on my skin was washed away leaving behind almost perfection. Not pretty, but in the sense of clean slate skin – it did its job. Since I had almost died, or rather half died, a lot of my bodily functions just don't... work. Properly. I still need to use the bathroom and oil is still produced, but I haven't had any cases of acne for the entire period. Nor has my hair grown. In any place.

And my hair on my legs, armpits, and ... _down-there_ was fairly bushy.

The whole red-flood still came, which I could have done without, but from what I noticed, it was going to come in cycles of two-months. Perhaps more as I got older. We were very young – this whole thing was new to me. Everything was a trial basis.

_:What if it __**was**__ a peace offering?: _I asked as I stared into my soul filled blue eyes. The palest blue that had been staring back since the accident. The color almost drained from the sky blue it had been. It was a testament how much my parents saw of me. They thought they were contacts, which was a brilliant idea and I had been telling everyone that.

It still hurt that they hadn't noticed for almost a month after the accident.

_:Then we would be a fool not to accept.:_

_:What on earth would he want from us though?: _I asked, drying my hair and watching it poof. :_In case you haven't noticed – he's got almost everything he could ever want.:_

_:But those who have much still lack something.: _Phantom said._ :What's that saying... money can't buy happiness?:_

My arms stilled as I blankly looked towards the ground, completely inside my head. _:What... he wants a friend?:_

_:We __**are**__ the only other Halfa alive... or dead. Or both.:_

That had us both chuckling for a minute at the word play.

_:We are also__** really**__ young.:_

_:Not really. Our average age is probably somewhere around fifty... He is much older than you. To me, he's still a child:_

I shocked myself by stilling and thinking that over. He was much older than me. Technically old enough to be my father. Yet. And there it was. The yet. He wasn't bad looking, he was basically the only other one of '**me**', the species wise, around, and there was just something about both those facts that made the pull of wanting to know 'why' into a need.

_**Why.**_

_:I can't do this right now.:_ I said, restarting my body and hurriedly dressing._ :I don't... I'm not making any assumptions unless he says something.:_

If Phantom heard something more in my mind than I did, he thankfully didn't point it out.

"That was quick." Jazz said as I exited, still running my hands through my right-above-shoulder length hair.

"The water heated up fast." I said, grumpy.

"We ready to go?"

Jazz just raised an eyebrow. "We still have half an hour."

"So?" It was my turn to look at her like she had grown another head.

"You want to be early?" Then Jazz just looked at me funny.

"Jazz, _honey_," I said in a patronizing tone of voice. "This mansion is way bigger than any house we may ever _have_. It's going to **take** half an hour to get there."

She snorted which turned into a real laugh. Tinkling chimes and all. "For a second there, you had me worried."

I just smiled at her and was very happy for the umpteenth time that I had another person in my head to help me think up excuses. Phantom Just snorted but was much more relaxed as Jazz laughed. It was connected to how relaxed I became, but it felt nice that both our reactions, for once over the last day or so, hadn't been strained.

"You do make a sound argument. Let's go," Jazz said and then winked. "And if we walk slow enough, we might **actually** make it in a half an hour."

And that was what I loved about Jazz. She actually went along with my crazy attempts at humor.

As we walked, neither of us spoke what was really on our minds. I mention nothing about my worries that Jazz knew _nothing about _and she mentioned nothing about how worried she was for me, or whatever else happened inside the innocent genius brain. We talked about everything that wasn't important in a **bid** for trying to make it important to us. Everything was laid bare except for what was under our skin.

And we both lied to each other, but in that subtle way that was both acceptable and totally unacceptable. We _agreed_ to be lied to.

We reached the door to the room where dinner had been served with time to spare, but not much. We had taken the long way and gotten 'lost' on the way. Which Jazz accounted to my poor 'direction' skills, but we both knew was because she had gotten distracted by a pretty picture and a statue of cheese. A little gold statue of cheese.

I hadn't thought Vlad had been so serious about his obsession.

We walked in to Jack and Maddie hounding the head of the table, where the illustrious Mr. Masters sat. Jack waving his arms like a mad man and Vlad looking carefully calm and collected as he sipped orange juice out of a glass.

"-**ut Vladdi**e, we could really use the funding. You have no idea the break-through we're close to!"

"I'll think about it, Jack." Vlad said in a voice that was almost too cool to be talking to an acquaintance of so many years.

Jack looked as if he was about to protest but Maddie laid a hand on his arm and settled him down into his seat. A passing glance of what they thought was love – which probably was, I don't know how their minds work – and then they were both back in their seats.

"Danni-girl! Jazzy-pants!" Jack shouted once he saw us both standing awkwardly as we had when we just walked in. We both flinched at the cheery attitude and Jazz put on her fake-smile to placate them.

_:Here we go.:_ Phantom muttered, souring my mood further with his own distaste of my parents.

I just glared and set my mouth.

"Morning!" Jazz said, cheerfully. But seeing as I had been with her all day, it was clear to see that she wasn't.

I said nothing as Jazz sat next to Vlad, and I sat next to her. Maddie was directly across of me and I didn't even try to keep in my disdain for being this close to her. She ignored me in favor of making sure Jack was quiet.

"Hello girls." Vlad greeted, just as the maids came out to start laying out the feast of breakfast. "You're just in time! Breakfast has just started. What would you like to drink?"

As Jazz answered, I watched Vlad closely.

He looked just as he had last night. Or well, as he had looked at dinner. Gray-peppered hair that might just be a lie for the humans around him, and his youthful face. Hiding his other form as well. There was no signaling from my ghostly-blue-breath, so he had to be hiding his signature some how, too.

_How though?_ We both had no clue.

Vlad was looking at me directly in the eyes. Catching me as I stared at him, twirling my silverware.

"And you Daniella?"

"Hmm?" I said dumbly before being reminded by Phantom that we were supposed to choose a drink. "Oh, apple juice? If not water. Please."

We'd gotten dehydrated once and that had not been fun. I had almost turned see through and we had hid away in the attic for almost four hours drinking buckets of water.

Another repeat was what I never wanted.

Vlad's lips quirked and waved the maids away as they heard what we requested. His demeanor told me he was in charge and very much comfortable at the head of the table. His eyes said something different. They were laughing, almost.

My blood ran cold and I knew he had a good idea that I had read the book.

I glared. His lip twitched.

"So what do you think of my humble house?" Vlad asked, and clearly it was pointed towards me. My family, thankfully didn't quite get the subtle pointing and answered in a group.

"It's beautiful, Vladdie!"

"The garden is stupendous."

"The library is pretty nice, Mr. Masters."

And by the smallest crinkle in his brows, I knew Vlad hadn't wanted their answers. I stiffed a giggle behind my fist.

_:Oh, this is too good.:_ Phantom said, with a snort. _:Watch the vein in his neck.:_

It bulged. _:I almost feel bad for him.:_

_:Yeah, not so much.:_ Phantom said, as the twinkle in Vlad's eyes returned.

"And you, little badger," Vlad said, using the nickname he had given me sent a jolt through me. "What do you think of my home?"

Put on the spot, with my family staring quizzically between Vlad and I. Now that I was the one on the other end of it, I could see just how fast he could turn the table. It made me uncomfortable but it also made me respect him. The fear was already there, but came forward much more forcefully.

"It's nice," I said, and Maddie glared at me. "Monumental. Scandalmongering, even."

Jack looked quizzically at Maddie who explained the 'big words' I used.

"Well, thank you." Vlad said, and perhaps there had been a laugh about to come out. But Jack, of course, ruined it by speaking. Loudly.

"Oh! Yeah, Vladdie your place is enormous! Just like Danni-girl said," He beamed at me as if that would somehow bridge the gap we'd had forming. I allowed him a smile, which was more of a twitch of my lips, but he took it to mean something more.

The conversation quickly took a turn for the worst as our drinks were brought and everyone ate.

Most of the food looked amazing, but it wasn't much of a surprise with everything Vlad had already showed he had. Money. _Check_. Finesse? _Oh yeah_. Food? _Yup_. Which was enough to make me want to just kind of lounge around his house like a fat cat.

That made me sound bad, but... well. My life hadn't been apple-pie.

I chose the makings of a sausage-egg sandwich, with cheese and just about any other kind of toppings I could find on the table. Including tomatoes. Jazz always commented that I had the appetite of a boy.

If only she knew.

_:Fatty.:_ Phantom said, watching queasily as I ate.

_:Just because you don't eat doesn't mean you can hate on my food.:_ I said through my sandwich. Which was heavenly.

_:It's a primitive thing.: _Phantom said._ :You know since I don't eat it's repulsive to me.:_

_:Yup. So shut your trap and let me enjoy a meal I didn't make.: _I made sure to take an extra big bit with tomatoes and all other slimy feeling foods._ :Before I make sure it's repulsive to you.:_

Phantom said not another word.

The rest of the table was not as smart.

"Our research indicates that inside the ghost portal, the ghosts live on islands," Maddie said to Vlad, which was sitting with his chin fisted under and he was staring at Maddie as if every word she said was new. "They even have some kind of government, if the ghosts we've manage to capture haven't been lying."

Phantom and I froze.

"Maddie, that's hardly anything new," Vlad said dismissively. "There have been hundreds of reports of ghosts all saying they have a government. There have also been hundreds of reports stating the _exact opposite_. You can't trust everything you hear."

We thawed, but listened to the conversation after that. Watching everyone closely.

Jazz had tuned everyone out a long time ago and was staring at the wall, alone in her thoughts. Jack and Maddie were both arguing with Vlad, quietly and without their usual bluster. When Jack wasn't stuffing his face with pancakes as if they were going out of style.

Vlad's face wasn't so much angry as it was nothing. It was carefully blank, like he had on a mask.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking, but then Maddie said, "Oh Vlad, I don't think it was lying. We'd had the ecto-beast pumped full of electron-shock thermometric energy – I'd be surprised if it could even **think** to lie."

Then my parents laughed. It wasn't a cruel laugh, which made it worse. There was no mocking. It was just a giggle shared between scientists.

I wouldn't have done anything, if I didn't have a flash of what that must have been like for the ghost. How painful that had been. I could imagine **my Phantom**, going through that stupid torture. Them asking questions with a clip-board. As calm as could be. Perhaps Jack would be eating a square of fudge.

_:Danni! Don't-:_

I snapped.

"How dare you!" I stood up, slamming my hand against the table. Causing everyone to jump and look at me, save for Vlad. He just narrowed his eyes at me. An almost warning to stop. I could tell, because even _I knew_ I should stop. _"How. Dare. You."_

_:Danni,: _Phantom cautioned.

_:I've been silent for a long time.:_ I snarled at Phantom.

For once, even if he thought I shouldn't, he was right there beside me. Closer to me physically than I had felt him before.

"Danni!" My mother reprimanded. "What has gotten into you?"

"Oh, I don't know the torture of some innocent specter for your amusement, perhaps?" I said, staring her straight in her shocked violet eyes. "Because _Mom_, this is basically table talk for you. You see nothing wrong with torturing a **being**, that has _thoughts_."

"Don't you take that tone with your mother, young lady." Jack said, pushing his stack away. Meaning business. Furthering my point.

"I think I will take **whatever** tone that gets my point across." I said, getting up and pushing my chair away from the table.

"And since it's **not** getting across maybe I should be _yelling," _Here I did raise my voice._ "_Instead of just **talking** loudly."

They stared at me speechless and I looked to Vlad. "Thank you for breakfast, sorry it was ruined by the **pigs** coming to the table. It was terribly rude of them."

And I turned on my heel, not waiting for any kind of response. The silence following me as I exited through the door. Though the window was looking like a good option with how close it had been.

_:I know I shouldn't encourage you, Danni, but that was bad ass.: _Phantom said.

:_As if I could be anything _less_,: _I responded and Phantom understood. He could see where my thoughts were.

I could picture, clearly, the look of approval I had gotten from Vlad before I had turned away.

* * *

><p>Phantom and I ended up wondering through the house and out into the garden. It was cold outside, and I had forgotten that lovely fact, but was too stubborn to go back inside to get a jacket. Meaning, I sat outside on one of the garden benches shivering in the cold with clenched teeth, refusing to go back inside.<p>

_:You are only human, Danni.:_ Phantom said._ :It's not like I'm going to judge you for being human.:_

_:With parents like that,: _I mumbled, back finally stopping my chattering teeth as I got used to the cold. _:I don't think my __**blood is human.**__:_

_:Come now. Stop that.:_ Phantom growled. _:You are human and they are the pigs. __**Remember**__, you said as much.:_

I giggled. _:I did, didn't I? I __**liked**__ that one.:_

"Danni?"

The cold must have been dragging me down, because it took me a moment to realize that it was Jazz's voice.

"Go away." I said, but the chill had taken off the edge from earlier and I just didn't move away when she sat down.

"Here." She said and I felt something soft and warm hit my lap. I looked down and shouldn't have been so surprised to see what had fallen into my lap.

One of my jackets.

"I knew you wouldn't have come back in for it."

She never listened to me, but as I pulled the jacket on, I hoped she would _never_ change. The only constant in my life, as I had already said.

"Thanks."

It took her a minute of sitting in the silence of the garden to say anything. Perhaps the beauty overwhelming her. Maybe she just wanted to get the words right. It didn't much matter. She was a warm spot next to me as Phantom and I stayed silent.

"Everyone just kind of sat there after you left," Jazz said, rubbing my arm to get the circulation going. "Mom and Dad then just kept apologizing for your behavior. You know? Saying they'd raised you better than that."

"Jazz," I looked her in the eyes. "We both know we raised ourselves."

She looked away. A sadness to her shoulders.

"I know," Jazz said. "You just deserve to know what happened after you left."

I said nothing.

"You've been bottling that meltdown for a while, huh?"

With those words I nodded back the tears.

"You can cry, Danni." Jazz said, repeating those words she would always repeat after I had gotten in trouble.

I wasn't much for tears. It seemed pointless to me. Plus, I cried when I was angry instead of sad – like I was now. It took away the whole magic of tears if they only happened when you were broken by anger instead of by a softer emotion. Like love.

"I'm not going to cry, sitting out here on Mr. Masters bench in his garden, just because my parents are pansies."

"Alright," Jazz said, and I could never tell if she believe me or if she was just agreeing for my benefit. It was one of her psychological tactics to seem on my level.

The silence resumed after that. This time I was warmer and my thoughts were a little clearer.

:_We still have our meeting tonight with Vlad._: I finally said, watching Jazz from the corner of my eye as she stared straight ahead.

_:That can always be rearranged.: _Phantom said. _:He can't meet with us if we run away first.:_

_:We're not running, Phantom,: _I protested_. :Not yet.:_

_:Once we get home?:_

It burned me that home was associated with my parents.

_:Once we get to the house, yeah.:_

I focused on Jazz to get away from my morbid obsession with making myself hurt. Mentally or physically.

She was looking away from me, out towards the woods at the edge of the garden. The way the landscape sloped and formed, from small to large and back again, had caught her eye and she had the brightest smile on her face as she enjoyed life. It was no secret that Jazz could get lost in anything. Books, homework. Her concentration was legendary and direct.

I was jealous. Not overtly so. Also, not because of her concentration. But that was always a sore spot when I could not keep my own concentration for more than ten minutes. I was more jealous that somehow, with everything we'd gone through, Jazz still had the air of innocence and wonder about her. Even with all the knowledge stashed away in her head, there was just something about her very body-language that screamed little girl.

The innate side of me wanted to protect her. Even Phantom felt the need, no matter that she shared little to no resemblance with me, to protect her.

"Why?" I heard myself asking, an almost out of body experience. I panicked, thinking I had lost control, but Phantom had taken control momentarily to ask.

He was always fascinated by Jazz, one of the few humans I myself had any positive connections with, and whenever he received the change or I allowed him - he loved to interact with her. Perhaps it was because they were both old souls.

Jazz, ever thinking she is the smartest person to ever live on the face of the earth look at me and said, "There are lots of answers to that."

"But what's your answer?" Once again, Phantom in control.

I stayed back, controlling the body but allowing Phantom my vocal chords.

"Perhaps, for them, the world spins to a different tune than for you or I." Jazz said, assuming we were talking about our parents. "There is more than one way to skin a cat, after all. Even if I personally don't find skinning a cat any kind of fun."

I forced the body to smile, but Phantom contemplated everything.

To be honest, we probably didn't have an angle. It was a simple question. One with many answers as Jazz had showed us.

"And that gives them the right?" Phantom pushed.

"No," Jazz said, watching me carefully for a second before turning back towards the garden. "But people have done a lot more for less."

I could feel a history lesson coming on, but Jazz kept it in. The peace and quiet of the garden once again uninterrupted.

"What are you planning, Danni?" Jazz said, pulling me out of my thoughts of the birds and the trees and how their silent song was quite beautiful.

"Why do you think I have something planned?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from a flock of birds that had taken roost in a tree almost a quarter of a mile away. I could not hear them from this distance, but my ghostly-powers allowed my eyesight to see what I could never have before. It was amazing, but half the time I could only ever see it as useful.

I wonder if Jazz would see it differently than me.

"Well, you're never this quiet, for one," Jazz said, meaning for it to sound teasing. Not knowing she had hit the nail on the head. "And that was the first time you've ever blown up at our parents when you had been in such a good mood only minutes before."

Jazz was very observant, but she would never be able to catch me. This I knew.

"I was happy." I said. "Until they opened their mouths."

Jazz gave me a look.

"I'm not dumb."

"Neither am I." I found myself retorting, looking towards her as she caught my eye. I felt guilt because it was easy to tell she sniffed out my lie. The one thing not-so-innocent about her. "I'm not planning anything Jazz. There's just _only _so much I can take before I have to scream."

She deflated from whatever she had been about to say.

"I get it."

_:No. You really don't.:_I said to myself. _:And for your sake, I really hope you never do.:_

Because Jazz's reality was different than my own.

When a tree falls in the forest, Jazz is still wondering if it made a sound - while I'm wondering just how long it's going to take for that large tree to fall and crush everything around it. When Jazz writes something down, it's poetry in motion. Every scientific thought in her brain is brilliance. There is magic in her walk and in her talk. People don't listen to her because they **have to** but because they **want to**.

Perhaps even need to.

I am not like her.

When I write, it's plans. It how to stay in the dark long enough that nobody finds my traces until years down the road. Calculations based on how long I could survive in New York, stealing to survive. How long I could wear a pair of jeans before they needed to be washed. What Phantom and I need to learn to survive in a time he doesn't understand and a time that simply will not understand us. Which ghosts will follow and which ones won't. How long does a swarm take to form?

And when should we be expect an attack when we invade someone else's territory?

My walk should be lonely. It should be dark. There is more magic behind my entire existence then there is when Jazz speaks, but my being is not a song to be sung. There will not be any good words from humans for me. To me.

Phantom was the only thing keeping me from going off the deep end, if I was honest with myself. The only thing that hadn't driven me crazier than I was already want to be.

"I'm cold, Jazz." I said, giving her a remembered smile that would make her give me one back. I had been thinking too long without interruption from Phantom. Mostly because he found it to be true.

"Let's go inside. I heard the library has a fireplace."

That was all it took for Jazz to give me the brightest doe-eyed smile and yammer on about just how great the fire was in the library and how wonderful I would find it. I got up on my feet and followed her as she ran circles around me. Spitting up knowledge in time to the beat of a drum inside her head that I would never understand the rhythm to.

As I watched her, I knew it wasn't my lot in life to understand it.

No. My life was set for a darker path.

_:Revenge is best served cold, after all._: I said as the cool wind blew, telling me we might be expecting snow soon.

_:And so the games begin.: _Phantom said, as he trudged inside with budding snowflakes to our back.

Thinking of the meeting with Vlad in a few hours, I said, _:Let the games begin.:_


	5. A New Appearance

**So I guess I didn't post this chapter... **

**Well then. **

**I'm embarrassed. **

**This thing has been done for like... Months. A lot of months... Basically since I last updated. That many months.  
><strong>

**Whoopsie-dasiy.**

"WORD" Regular dialogue

:_WORD_: Inner dialogue between Danni and Phantom

* * *

><p><strong>A New Appearance<strong>

* * *

><p><em>He smiled brightly with that fanged smile before saying, "Threat delivered."<em>

**-~DP~-**

Vlad didn't show up at my door until after dinner.

Which I hadn't come out for. Hadn't come out of the room since Jazz had left me at the door, however long ago that had been.

My reasons had been many, for missing dinner. Among them: Pissing off my parents, feigning being pissed off at the world, Etc era, etc era.

Oh. And Vlad.

There was just something about knowing Vlad now, and_ not knowing_ him.

I hadn't been expecting any special treatment about my rejection of food and company, but when a maid brought me food at almost the **exact** time Jazz had told me that dinner was going to be 'served', I had to wonder how much Vlad thought was going on. Or if he knew that he was the major reason I was sticking it to the 'man' and staying locked away until our confrontation.

The note that read: "I understand -Vlad"

Hardly made things better.

I had scarfed down the sizable portion of food and left the empty plates and such on the table where the lady had brought it. She was a nice lady. Silent, but then most of Vlad's servants were silent. The note lay crinkled up in my fingers as we sat unmoving in the comfortable, plush chair we had taken the first night with Vlad. That had been in the first few minutes of 'dinner' or my lack thereof.

The rest of the hour I waited for Vlad was spent inside my own head, with Phantom, trying to figure out Vlad's motives.

It was spent mostly with this exact dialogue:

_:No! You're wrong.:_

_:I'm not wrong. You're **wrong**.:_

_:Well you're **rude**. Rudest of all teenagers I have ever had the displeasure of being attached to.:_

_:I'm the _only_ teenager you've been attached to. So that's means I'm also the BEST -:_

Needless to say, we hadn't moved very far past square one.

We hadn't made heads or tails about Vlad's motives, either. We were operating on the basis that he could have harmed us at any time today and **hadn't**. (Which _meant_ something, I knew it and Phantom too, but Phantom and I were both just... _blank_ on what it was.) We'd spent too many hours simply arguing back and forth about what Vlad's motives were to do anything else.

That and insulting each other. That was _besides the point._

We were still stuck on the why, how, and just **what the hell**.

We hadn't gotten very far from our original train of thought, namely that we were so very unsure and completely out of our league - or, basically, our original argument, because we simply didn't have **enough** data. All of this had been dropped on us rather abruptly.

Which Mr. Masters might be thinking the same.

Not every day you meet the _only_ other person, because there was no way in hell there could be any more of us, who shared your particular brand of disease. Or curse. Or... well what the hell did one call being dead and alive at the same time? A condition?

It didn't matter. It was weird. That was that. Weird in the way that it made a certain kind of sense.

BUT, We'd hardly given away enough to warrant any kind of special treatment, either.

Neither had Mr. Masters, of course.

We both were playing a game of cat and mouse. Of tic-tac-toe. Of all the games combined, probably. Until all of the cards were played on the table - nobody knew who the winner would be. Which was both exciting and kind of nerve-wracking. More nerve-wracking than exciting.

And, as Mr. Masters had said last night, tit-for-tat. Give as good as we got.

The rest of the night would be... a **giant,** reveal fest.

If we didn't decide to run out on him, that is.

Weirder things had happened in ghost-gatherings besides two ghosts sharing a specific ailment starting a fight or revealing some nasty things, after all. I hadn't been there, but Phantom shared the few stories he had of other ghosts when he wasn't on his self-proclaimed hermitage.

The clock struck nine thirty, and while the old clock in the corner ding-donged its final wave of ding-dongs, the swarm hit me in the face. Ghostly energy too weak to actually form into a ghost came, smacked me like bad-BO in the boys locker room.

With Vlad, a few minutes behind.

:_Fashionably late._: Phantom said, stiffly. My fingers clenched and unclenched into the chair.

:_I guess that's better than being obnoxiously early._: I said, then with a snort, added. :_Who knows, he might have caught me in my underwear.: _

_:You did insist on putting on your bad-ass clothes.: _Phantom said, nonplus.

I had, of course. Black everything just made me feel more **me**. More confident. Bad ass and also just kind of invincible. So, of course, I had gone for the entire shebang. Under everything was black and over everything was black. Which made me stick out in this room painted with pastels instead of hid me, as it should have. I still felt like I could kick ass though.

The knock on the door came just as my ghostly breath did. Not waiting to hear an answer yell or objection to him, Vlad walked in, closed the door behind him, and turned towards me without a second to check if I was willing to see him or not.

:_Prat._:

"Hello, little badger," He greeted, walking slowly towards me. A smirk settled on his lips as if he had heard the punchline to a funny joke.

I was very glad the chair I was in allowed me to watch him walk into the room because his gait was somehow different.

"Dinner was a boring affair without your delightful interruptions."

"Don't really think the rest of my family shares the sentiments, Mister Masters."

Vlad had also changed since I had seen him last at breakfast. He now wore a business suit, I hadn't actually seen him out of one come to think of it, with a cream undershirt and a new tie. It was a dark gray and his tie actually was serious this time. The lightest of color gradients from white to gray. No pedophile candy canes this time.

"It's Vlad, unless you would like me to refer to you as Miss Fenton."

I made a face and amended my words. "Vlad."

"Yes, your parents were quite... distraught." Vlad acknowledged as he came closer.

A steady pace that wasn't fast enough to seem threatening, but was borderline relentless.

"Jack hardly ate a _thing_."

The way he said that made me wonder if he'd poisoned him or something. I didn't care enough to question. Jack was hardly the problem that I had been pondering for the last twelve hours. Plus, Vlad was being completely genial. Like he didn't have a mean bone in his body. **That **fact alone had me more on guard than a failed murder attempt anyday.

"I don't suppose you care about any of that," Vlad said as he sat down across from me. His movements as if he was a king retaking his throne after a long day. "Your father missing you nor your mother. Do you, little badger?"

"Not really." I said, narrowing my eyes when I found that _I really didn't. _I'd never looked that close at my relationship to them, my parents, but this was probably a new all time low for me. Even I knew I shouldn't be that heartless, but it was much easier to to keep up the facade of dark-beneath-me amusement when everyone was watching me. In private... _hmmm, perhaps it really was just me being a heartless bitch._

I shook myself out of that and held up the book that had been in my lap. "I'm more interested in this."

Vlad's next smirk was two-parts predator and three parts wicked-intelligence. "Do tell."

"The Ghost King told me I wouldn't be Marked. After reading this, it's clear there has been a few new … changes on this matter." I said, tackling the first point on the long list of things I needed to get answers for. "Why would he lie to... me?"

I had almost stumbled and said 'us'.

Vlad's entire body language spoke to me as he leaned up and forward a little more. "Most probably because you're a very powerful being."

"And he thinks that's a good enough reason to lie to us? Wouldn't that be the complete **opposite** of what someone should do?"

That hardly made any sense.

"Comparatively, Daniella," Vlad began, placatingly me with a hand held out as if to hold me to my chair. "You were born into this new life of yours stronger than any other ghost or I, ever had been before. I'd imagined he wanted to see what would happen if he let you grow without any kind of fear for the first few months."

_:I'll admit we were powerful, even to my standards,:_ Phantom said, doubtful of Vlad. _:But that's hardly new. I don't believe we were the __**strongest**__.:_

_:Neither do I.:_ I said as I watched Vlad.

"And when the ghosts started hunting me? I was just supposed to go to him? Thinking there was some kind of mistake." I asked, staring unseeingly at the side of Vlad's face.

"From what I know, probably."

So Vlad didn't know everything. Surprise of surprises. Phantom nudged me towards another train of thought.

"So why'd you do it?"

Vlad chuckled, "You'll have to be a little more clear than that. I've done many things while you've been here. And well, what have I done that you don't approve of?"

It wasn't that I didn't **approve** of the actions.

It was that his actions completely _baffled_ us.

I picked up the book in my left hand and hefted it upwards.

"Give me the book. Why'd you. Give me _this_ book." I punctuated my sentences erratically with the book pointed through the air. I kept my voice controlled, but I wanted to shout. Very much. Not just because I was feeling frustrated with life, but because it had been a bombshell. The information, anyway.

Vlad watched me carefully for a few second, as if surprised I was being so calm. I had had all day to think about this, though, so I was more than a little tired of all the unknowns in the equation. I'd like to think I could stop myself from completely having a melt down. Phantom could control his blood-lust... I could control my hormonal rage.

My parents were still alive, weren't they?

"Call it my _Them vs. Us _attitude," Vlad said.

"We are the only two Halfa's. You deserved to know. Therefore, I told you."

"But you didn't say anything to me." I responded.

"You **acted** like this was the only way to get the information to me. But you're right here. You can speak. _I've heard you_."

There was only _one_ reason, that Phantom and I agreed on, why he would not speak it clearly.

He knew it, I knew.

There had been a measure of amusement behind Mr. Masters eyes but now they were flinty, like steel. "Based on that rather pointed question- I believe you already know, do you not, why I could not simply speak the words? Why I had to go through the trouble of picking up a book and giving it to you."

"You're Marked? You've got a Master and all that jazz that comes along with that -" I asked, dreading the answer even though he had basically given it to me on a silver platter.

The way his eyes shifted to the side as if self-conscious of the fact, as he watched me cemented the fact and I sat back and whispered to myself something had had really not sunk in past the lie that the Ghost King had whispered to us, "Halfa's can be Marked."

The Ghost King had cited because I was half-alive, rather than half-dead, that the Mark would not stay. That only the dead could be attached to another dead. It was a ritual in as much as it was a requirement of their society.

But that wasn't the case.

"We **are** ghosts, little badger," Vlad said with a sigh, "**Of course **we can be Marked. Anyone who has been close to death and has the ability to create and sustain the retainance of ecto-energy, or our lifeblood, is capable of the same fate."

_There were more of us?_

_:No way.: _Phantom echoed, but there was no fire behind it. Just disbelief.

"Wait, hold up." I interrupted. "What the hell do you mean? There are more than just us?"

"No," Vlad said carefully, watching me as I was watching him. "But you have heard of people having near-death experiences, correct?"

We nodded, as one out of habit.

"Those who come back from death are left with a mark, of sorts, and can be considered partially ghost. Not enough to matter, which is why the Ghost King does not dare Mark them, but they could be considered this... people."

I said nothing, in shock. It would explain many things, but it was just baffling that it was true.

Humans that had trace amounts of Ghost in them...

"Do they have any powers?"

"Some have reported feeling when ghosts are 'near' but other than that. No. They are human."

I sat back in relief.

"Now, since we have gotten past that issue," Vlad looked at me as if he was waiting for me to say something. When I didn't he continued.

"My Master is of no concern to you. As for whom-so-ever Marked me, it really doesn't matter at the moment. He may have given me some choice words over what I should do and what I should say when I meet another Halfa, but I won't be saying anything about it. My Master, as you say, doesn't matter."

_:I think it does.: _Phantom said, snarling. A little shaken up, still, to know about those that were less than Halfa's but still had some kind of power - were real and alive and... It was weird.

I hesitated from sharing the sentiment.

_:Yeah, not saying that. Look at those eyes.: _Vlad was in a no nonsense mood. We'd probably surprised him.

"Did it hurt?" I found myself asking, to stem the flow of pointed attention away from his anger and onto... well perhaps older anger? Vlad did not look amused with the question but he did not look as murderous as he had. Instead he simply looked away, as if shamed.

"Yes." His answer was clipped. Dipped in anger I couldn't understand but also resigned. Controlled. Which mean that Mr. Masters was already living the life that other Ghost lived. Slavery. Owned. The same life we could expect for ourselves.

Shit.

Since neither Phantom nor I had ever been Marked I had to ask, "How... how does it feel?"

"The actual Mark?" Vlad said, raising an eyebrow as if he had expected me to know.

"Yes... like is there a bond that's formed? Or is it... just kind of a status Mark? A tattoo." It all kind of poured out in a stream of inappropriate thought.

No Ghost had told us. Probably on penalty of their after-life.

"It's similar to a mental bond of sorts," Vlad said after a moment of looking me over hawkish. "You've seen the Mark's of other ghosts, haven't you?"

I nodded. "It's like a tattoo, but I just... I want to know what it supposedly **does**."

Everyone was tight-lipped on that point of contention. We, Phantom and I, didn't exactly ask questions - but it wasn't like they would have told us anything. Vlad didn't look pissed at us for my line of questioning, which was a plus.

"I haven't been given the liberty to say too much to you, but yes." Vlad revealed. "It most certainly creates a Bond that _can not_ be broken from the lesser side of the bond."

Continuing to nod, I was stopped short by a stray thought.

"When the hell have you had time to talk to your Master?" I asked in perplexed bewilderment. Because the book had to of come from somewhere. And somewhere was his Master.

How had there been another ghost here when Vlad had not left the house and I had only felt either his own or the paltry amount of Ghost-energy trying to create its own form?

"I thought I would have felt some kind of disruption..."

"There have been rumors of you for almost two months." Vlad said in a voice not unlike Mr. Lancer, my English teacher, before he went into a rant. "Believe me, little badger, I've been told _long_ before we met the rules regarding you. Ghost King and my own... _Master_, aside."

"The Ghost King?"

:_So it was planned.: _Phantom growled.

"Very much yes," Vlad said. "I do believe you shouldn't have trusted him as blindly as you had."

"I had no reason to distrust the Ghost King, until now." I responded, trying to calm Vlad down, turning the conversation back towards me.

I'd heard from Phantom that ghosts who had higher-tier Ghost-Masters had to swear a lot more oaths and swear more **things** than the average Ghost. For their protection and the Masters and all that yada-yada. From Vlad's reaction, Phantom was right.

Vlad's response was like a slap to the face. "You had no reason to trust him either, if you think about that."

Silence, angry on my end and thoughtful on his end, and then he waved his hand as if to clear the air above us.

"We are digressing, I'm afraid." Vlad said in as much of an apology as he was probably capable.

"How did you find the book?"

"The laws are new."

He just raised an eyebrow, as if I was stupid.

"Really new... two months old - new... I wanted to know. What were the laws before?"

For some odd reason, I trusted he wouldn't lie about this. And based on Phantom's own feelings on the matter, he trusted Vlad just as far as he could throw him. A conflict neither of us needed.

"We were not separated from the average Ghost." Vlad said, folding his hands which I had taking to be his 'I'm going to tell a story' pose. "There was no separate law for us. Marking, social status, and other... things aside."

"None?" I asked.

"None." He assured.

After I thought about the differing needs of Phantom and I, I had to growl. "That seems pretty stupid considering what we are. What our human sides and Ghost sides need."

"I was the first of my kind, and the only one of my kind for a long time, little badger," Vlad laughed. "They didn't **think** there was much to worry about. Six months in, and I was already being chased. Most stayed well away when I showed them what I was capable of though."

It became quiet after that. Revelation sinking into my brain.

_:So they hadn't done it out of any weird need to do it.: _I said. _:It was... **calculated**.:_

_:Where there are two, there are bound to be more.:_

That was not an easy thought-pill to swallow. More of us. More Halfas... That was just _weird_. Thinking some other kid or adult would be going through the same situation as me? Have their own Phantom.

I shivered.

"Damn it," I said, scrubbing a hand over my eyes and sinking into the pillow behind me. "I hate Ghost culture."

"That was probably their plan," Vlad shrugged, before jerking his head in the direction of the window, as if to point to the ghosts. "They do so very like to mess with humans... even if we are only half of the equation."

"This sucks," I said, feeling how horrible this was going to be. Running away, which Phantom and I had been planning for almost two weeks, was now going to be a necessity and not a want. We'd be away from my parents and that would be dandy, but we would have the entirety of the Ghost Zone behind us. From what Vlad had insinuated, it seemed like the more powerful half as well.

"If it makes you feel any better," Vlad said, in a tone that told me it wouldn't necessarily make me feel better. "There are probably only ten Ghosts that come anywhere close to your power level, that will be **allowed** to chase you for the next year."

"Allowed to chase me?" I echoed what Phantom had just said in my head.

"Some of our Masters want to see what you're made up of, little badger. To see if you are worthy of our... time." Vlad said smirking before giving a put-off sigh. "Which includes mine. And therefore, me."

I dumbly stared at him before it clicked. Phantom a second ahead of me.

_:He's not going to be chasing us.:_ Phantom said, in awe.

_:For a year.:_

_:That's a lifetime for us at the moment, Danni, I'm more interested in the __**why**__.:_

The 'why' was certainly a big one. Why was he being like this? Why was I not being, like, kept in a cage or something until the year mark was up? Why?

"Is that why you're being so... nice?" I said, fidgeting in my seat, not exactly sure what to make of this person who was a threat but also... **not**. "Because you **can't** chase me?"

Vlad chuckled and it almost turned into a full-blown laugh. "I did say my U_s vs. them_ attitude had a lot to do with it."

"Oh." I said. "Yeah."

_:You think he's lying?: _I asked. Phantom shifted comfortably in my mind, brush his emotions of - confusion, dissatisfaction with the information and what not - onto me.

_:At this point... he's lying about something.:_

_:But?:_ I said because Phantom never left a thought like that unfinished.

_:He's just probably not lying to hurt us... As the main goal. If it's a side note... **well** he won't cry over it.:_

That was a new one. Someone lying to us but not trying to hurt us or manipulate us. A kindness few people extended to us. Especially a Ghost. It left a hollow point in my chest as I tried to figure it out. But the hollow was more left from others who had hurt me and was now just kind of... warming over.

"So," I said, deciding that our topic from last night would be a good topic change. "Revenge?"

Vlad had been quiet after his full laugh, but now was chuckling at my seemingly random segway of thoughts.

"That is what we were meant to be talking about tonight, wasn't it?"

I nodded. Self-conscious after I had basically jumped his bones, he was still seemingly genial.

"The plan is simple, I assure you," Vlad said, looking towards the clock, as if to manage his time better. We'd only been in the room for half an hour. Which in that time I had interrogated him, but still. It wasn't like the few hours we had spent yesterday.

"To explain my plan, well," Vlad was looking me over with a peculiar sense of _something_. "I believe our other forms need to make an appearance."

"You can't explain a plan for revenge without us both giving a show?" I asked, Phantom's disbelieve bleeding through. "Why?"

"It will just be easier, Daniella," Vlad said with an eye brow perked. "Believe me."

With narrowed eyes, even if I couldn't see his point of view, I nodded. It must be weird to know there is another Halfa but not actually have seen their other... halfa-ness.

Actually, yes. Yes it was weird.

_:He's going to find out about me.:_ Phantom said.

_:Considering the fact that we are going to be running away from everybody soon... I really don't think that matters.:_

_:It could give us an advantage.:_

_:Phantom.: _I said._ :You **know** our unique situation has been more of a **disadvantage** with only one body than anything...:_

_:I agree, but I don't like it.:_

_:Then we don't show your part.:_ I said, knowing we had already beaten this dead horse over and over.

It should be dead but Phantom worried too much.

_:That just puts more pressure on you.:_

There was always pressure on me. It didn't matter how or when. It would be happening.

I sighed.

_:Then we tell him.: _I said, finality in my voice. There were more important things to discuss than this._ :It's going to come out sooner or later.: _

_:I would prefer later, but both of us would...:_ Phantom huffed.

_:I say now. Let it be on our terms at least.:_

"You first." I told Vlad, a moment had passed in silence. Vlad had probably allowed me it out of some kind of kindness.

"Only fair." Vlad said, standing up, like it was a form of a business handshake.

He waited not even a second before allowing dark blue rings to travel from the middle of his stomach outward and upwards. Up and down, he changed in a flash and I was equally unprepared for the form that looked back at me.

If he didn't have the same cheekbones and facial structure, I would never have guessed it was Vlad. Whereas Phantom looked similar enough to me that we could pull of the whole – I died and turned into a boy – line, Vlad was safe in his exotic looks.

Because. Well. Hot damn.

Vlad's form, whatever he called it, was _menacing_. And not monster-truck menacing but kind of like... Hannibal the cannibal menacing. Black hair was stripped with gray and white, and all of it lead to two points. Sharp. All of it flaming with black energy. In parts I couldn't tell where the hair ended and where the flame began. It was also translucent, as if I could run my hands right through it and only feel a chill.

His skin was more green-pale than blue-pale but it all gave to his appearance that spoke of retribution. Of ghost.

And he had fangs. Poking out from his upper lip that was dark-dark green. His eyes were ruby, and for a moment Phantom was completely silent on my end. I was completely silent on my end. There was nothing coming from Phantom, nor I, except perhaps a growing sense of awe. And dread.

Vlad was garbed in white, with a cape. Red accents and black for his gloves, belt, boots, and under the cape.

"Well. Shit." I blurted, and received an open lipped smile that showed off his dandy teeth.

"I'll take that as a positive." His voice was dark, also. Deep and resonant. It echoed the ghostly-energy that was orbiting him. Giving him a halo of 'power' and authority.

I was completely honest, flabbergasted, and shocked when I ask Phantom a question I didn't think I would ever ask a century old ghost about a quarter of a century old man. :_**Why**__ is that sexy?:_

_:I refuse to answer.: _Phantom said, in a voice that was way to small. It was more of a peep, really. _:Ask me again, and I will still not answer. Ever.:_

Outwardly, I nodded mutely, trying not to sink into the chair. But the weight of Vlad's ghostly presence felt like it was physical and pushed me down. Whatever I had been expecting – This was not it. None of Vlad. Phantom shared the sentiments, even as he kept pushing me to run away.

We wouldn't get far.

"Uhm, so err," I cleared my throat. "What do you call yourself in that form?"

"Plasmius." Vlad said, slowly. His eyes had not left my general vicinity and it was making my face heat up.

"Like it?"

There wasn't any kind of inappropriateness to his tone, but somehow that just made it worse.

Not able to find my voice on account of the shock and the amount of awe I was feeling and the unadulterated amount of _fear_ that was also coursing through me now that I realized just how _screwed Phantom and I were and just how grateful we should be to whomever Vlad's Master was that we would be safe** from him for a year**_ – I nodded.

"I'll admit, it's a bit much," Vlad said, twirling around to show off. "But I've had a few years to build a reputation. And it most certainly does not call for business suits. There is just _something_ about capes that terrifies the common Ghosts. A little dramatic flare and all of the sudden it adds on about three power levels."

Vlad didn't need that kind of boosting. He was probably just fishing for complements.

Noticing the bulging muscles that had been hidden behind the cape and floofy-sleeves, I said. "I can see why."

He must have thought I meant something else because he crossed his arms. "I do hope I didn't surprise you too badly."

"No, no!" I immediately denied. "Your other form..."

He had an eyebrow raised and I knew exactly the moment he didn't believe me.

_:Okay that is just sad, Danni.:_ Phantom said, chuckling weakly in my head. He was still weak-kneed and it was translating over to my side. I almost felt like jello.

_:Shut it. You've at least had years to deal with this. THIS is new to me. New territory.:_

"Okay fine, yes, it's a surprise." I said finally. "You look nothing like... **you**. Or well... Mr. Masters."

"So I've heard." Vlad said, his lips quirking over his fangs. They were quite huge.

Did I mention that already?

_:Four times,: _Phantom said, finally calming down enough that the shivers that were subtly racking my body were stilling. I could play them off as simple goose-bumps.

"How did that even happen? Did you just... grow up in your Ghost form and not your human form or something?"

"Since you are relatively young, you don't know yet – but yes." Vlad answered. "Basically, I reached maturity first in my human form, and then in my ghost form. I assume that you will reach your maturity and then stop aging. As it happened to me. We are relatively young in Ghost standards anyway, so I am not sure how our aging will stop over the years."

"It doesn't look like it's affected you at all." I said before I could stop my mouth.

Vlad's smile turned into something a little softer. "Thank you for the compliment,"

_:I'm an idiot.:_ I thought to myself but couldn't stop my smile. "No problem."

"Though I am sure you really do find this form interesting," Vlad said, gesturing to all of himself. "It really is your turn. I must say, I have heard some **newsworthy** things about you, my dear."

_:Does he even know he just turned the whole game on it's head?:_ I asked Phantom as I took a deep breath. Because he had. Nobody had warned us about _this_ Vlad. Powerful, dangerous...

Fucking sexy.

Phantom hesitated._ :I really don't think so... but then again, I __**didn't**__ think he could.:_

I looked Vlad over, he didn't look particularly smug. _:This is going to suck.:_

_:Win or lose, you're right.:_

_:I'm always right.:_

Phantom did not deny it.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" I asked Vlad.

He raised an eyebrow.

"This is not something I just share willy-nilly."

He looked me over with a pensive expression and let his smile fall. "Considering we both have secret identities, I believe yours is very much safe with me. We would know each others secrets. Telling them would be folly."

It was clear he didn't get it. So I had to spell it out for him.

"I meant with the ghosts. There is next to **nobody** who knows what I'm about to show you. I'd like to keep it that way."

He had been aloof before, but was now focused on me with that one-mindedness that I though only Jazz had possessed. And he glanced over me once more, as if trying to figure out the secret before I told him.

Finally, he relented his rigid stance. Not transforming back to his human form, electing to stay as he was.

"I will not tell."

"Good. Because if you **do** there will be one less Halfa in the world."

He smiled brightly with that fanged smile before saying, "Threat delivered."

Vlad leaned against the wall as I breathed deeply, preparing myself.

"Good," And then I handed the reigns over to Phantom. "_**Phantom in.**_"

We had decided a long time ago, almost the second day of our lives as this new being, that it would be a spoken word of consent that would allow for a body change. In our case, _**Phantom in**_ and _**Danni out.**_ Especially since we both hated having the kind of shock to our systems that came when one of us took over the body.

Even a second of warning was appreciated when the situation called for it.

The transformation from me to Phantom, with the rings springing into existence and splitting my body through the middle, lasted a second. Max. With my mind being switched to the back while Phantom came to the front. Kind of like being pushed from being in front of a train.

All the adrenaline just kind of exits from what you're feeling and you're simply thoughts and emotions. Simply Danni. Everything I am and everything I might ever be. But this was Phantom's time to shine, not mine.

Phantom wore a simple black and white jumpsuit. Since he ran a whole forty degrees colder than I did, there was no need to wear anything warmer or colder. The suit was also made out of some very tough stuff that Phantom had stolen from DALV CORP. a year before we had been inseparable and unattachable. Which we were going to keep from Vlad for as long as we could. He didn't need to know that Phantom was a thief. A good one at that.

With the transformation, Phantom took on a decidedly more cocky pose as he hovered an inch above the ground. His place in life that he preferred. It gave him an edge on getting away, floating mere inches off the ground.

Spreading his arms he announced in a purr, "Hello there, Vlad."

Vlad had watched the entire thing expressionless, but as soon as Phantom spoke with his unique voice and inflection and accent; his eyes widened. The fact that it was clearly a man or rather a boy speaking also had Vlad shoving off the wall and walking forward. His head cocked like a curious puppy.

He stopped a yard away. He chewed on the words he was about to say as he studied Phantom, eyes never blinking which was unnerving in and of itself.

_:I think we broke him._: I giggled, feeling loose and free from the constraints of a body.

_:Not likely.:_

"You are not Daniella... are you?"

"No," Phantom chuckled, his accent very much covered from such a long time away from England, but still more pronounce than not. "I am most assuredly not."

"Then, if I don't sound too terribly rude," Vlad said, looking over Phantom warily. He was a new equation in the game he had. "Who might you be?"

"Name's Phantom." My partner in crime said. "Part two of the terrible duo you know only as Danni, or Daniella, or what was it? _Little badger._"

A beat of silence.

"Daniella. And... Phantom." It was a question, to himself.

Phantom nodded.

"Those are our names. Don't wear them out."

"Two in one body." Vlad said, all full of wondering as he started to circle Phantom. I could feel Phantom tense as Vlad reached halfway behind him. He twisted to follow Vlad.

"A _true_ Halfa." Vlad shook his head in wonder.

"If that's what you want to call us," Phantom said as he moved. A simple half-step float to the right. Always keeping Vlad in his sights. "I think a few of the Ghosts who know what we are just call us an abomination."

Vlad scoffed. "Considering most Ghosts have no clue **what** it takes to become what we are... Well - It goes without saying: don't listen to them. They are not the smartest lot. Nor will they ever be truly smart."

"Agreed." Phantom said, not quite sure what else he was to say to the man in front of him that I hadn't allowed him.

"How does it work?" Vlad asked, then after only a beat of silence. His eyes roved and his mind wandered, even I could tell from his calculating look. "Two in one body... that is not an easy thing to manage."

"To be honest neither Danni or I know." Phantom admitted, feeling a sour feeling on his tongue as he admitted somewhat to weakness. "When the accident happened, I was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and we were merged together to keep the both of us alive and in existence. Could have been when the worm-hole was created between the worlds, or it could have been a simple fluke of reality."

"So it's permanent?"

Phantom nodded solemnly. "If we were separated, we would not survive."

"You've experienced it?"

"We've... experimented."

I remembered the time that we had. It set me to shivering, even if I didn't have a body. It was kind of like having a phantom limb, but all over. The cold chill took me and I refused to allow my words I wanted to project at Phantom go.

We had tried to basically escape each other. Both of us trying to take the body and walk away. Phantom almost managed to fully escape, but I hadn't been able to breath and his form flickered. A brief moment of pure terror as neither of us could feel alive - then we were back together and it was all better. It was easy to see, neither of us had had the energy to keep ourselves alive without the other.

That had been in the first few minutes of our new life together and we had swore we would never do it again, unless the circumstances were better. More in our favor.

"_Fascinating_."

I wanted to bristle, but Phantom kept a tight hold on the body. Just like I did when it was in my control.

_:No he didn't!:_

"Please refrain from using that word. It... Danni hates that word." Phantom said hovering a step back. "It never really ends well when that words comes up in conversation."

It was on the no-no word list. Right up there with daughter-poo and Danni-pants. Fascinating meant that I was almost object status. That I was less than.

"I mean no offense," Vlad said, holding up his black gloved hands and trying to look innocent in his fairly devious form. "I just very much have a scientific mind. I can't help it sometimes when something this... _interesting_ comes along."

"So says the mad-scientist to the lab-rat." Phantom stated flatly.

_:Yo! Thought we said we weren't going to piss off the man?: _Even though I silently was cheering him on.

_:He pushed, I'm just pushing back.:_

_:Don't have to be an idiot about it:_

Phantom just pointedly pointed out the part of our brain that forced our compulsion over everything else in our life.

I took the warning as I should and backed down.

_:Stupid fucking compulsion.:_

The fact that it was a need to protect ourselves rather than a **want** still rubbed me the wrong way, but that was mainly because I had a problem seeing myself as anything special.

"I see now what the other ghosts meant." Vlad said as he took a step back towards the chairs, finally stopping his hovering upon us. He turned his back on us and made his way back to his spot, transforming the entire way. "A ghost that's a boy who's not entirely a boy."

"Hey, I'm a century old, thank you very much," Phantom said, following a good few feet behind. Instead of transforming, knowing I would have control again, Phantom simply hovered over the chair cross-legged. Arms laying against his shins softly. "Seen more than my fair share of the world. Ghost and otherwise."

"How is that, by the way?" Vlad asked, sitting back and observing Phantom. "Living with the mind of a fifteen year old right next door?"

Phantom smirked. "Trying."

_:Come now, you love me.:_ I said, using my best Phantom-accent.

_:I do, but Vlad doesn't need to know that.: _Phantom said, with a smirk._ :Besides, the less he knows.:_

"Enough about us," Phantom said as he waved away Vlad opening his mouth for another question. "What's this revenge plan?"

"Eager are we?" Vlad chided but there was no heat behind it. In fact, there was the exact opposite. There was some kind of anxious anticipation that was all too warm.

Phantom needn't say anything, Vlad responded to the silence by crossing his legs. "Good. I think a little eagerness will go a long way."

"So what do you have in mind?" Phantom asked as he propped his chin on thin-air and waited. "Not every day some random guy who went to college with Danni's parents shows up and wants us to help in a revenge plot."

Vlad chuckled and snorted. "Yes, a little strange, isn't it?"

"Plus the fact that we will be running for the rest of our lives." Phantom said, oh so innocently.

"Not my fault you didn't know." Vlad said before adding. "But when do you plan to run away?"

"After the lovely road-trip. We felt it would be a little better after 'trying' to reconcile the family."

Vlad nodded. "It will give you enough time to learn how to run... The more time, the better. It is not the easiest time..."

Phantom caught the inflection of his voice and took it as meaning he was being sincere. "Noted."

"May I tell you my plan, now?"

"Go ahead. Didn't mean to stop you." Phantom obviously had, though I wasn't sure why. All the emotions were kind of jumbled.

"As you know, tomorrow I am having a party."

"Your birthday, correct?" Phantom asked. "And some kind of quarter that is worth more than other money?"

Vlad nodded slowly as if he wasn't sure what to make of that question. "The quarter of my company at the start of this year, yes. It's been a very successful year so far."

Phantom didn't quite understand that, and neither did I.

"Got it."

Vlad didn't need to know that.

"Many important people will be there. Many of whom your parents are going to want to get into contact with."

Narrowed eyes, Phantom saw where this was going, but he just answered - "Yes?"

"Well. I simply can't let that happen."

I forced a smile to Phantom's face - now we're talking.

"Can you guess how I will be completely destroying Jack? Everything he stands for. Everything he will ever stand for?"

Phantom and I had been mulling this over for the past few hours. "Overshadow him and make him do something incredibly stupid?"

"Close but I think you must remember one thing," Vlad's eyes kind of gleamed.

Neither of us had a clue. "What?"

"Revenge just isn't the same if it doesn't have an element of... drama."

Phantom perked up and I coiled in our core, closer to the surface.

"What do you mean?"

We did not know Vlad all that well. Money, we knew he had. Fame, fortune, and power; Sure. Understandable. But anything beneath that was only known as a a deep seated anger at my father (which was also acceptable) but not much else. There was nothing very cuddly about him in the moment we watched as he transformed back to his normal attire.

"What kind of drama?"

Vlad simply chuckled, as if I had hit the nail on the head. "The kind that takes _a stage_ of course."

"Like... an actual stage or metaphorical?" Phantom asked.

_:There is no way there is an actual stage, Phantom.: _I said, exasperated, trying to hide the act that I was a bit more confused than I let on.

"Very much metaphorical, Phantom," Vlad said. "It still works just as well as one, fortunately."

"So then you'll be taking Jack over... with style?" I pushed past Phantom's loose hold on our mouth, allowing our head to cock to the side as well. "I don't get it."

"Well, Daniella and Phantom," Vlad drawled, not unkindly. "Simply put: I will be a victim of Jack's buffoonery as well as overshadowing him."

Phantom and I had been working on that whole listening thing, but this was a little more than we had apparently taken correctly.

"Say again?"

"You heard me the first time." Vlad said, without repeating himself.

Phantom scoffed. "There is no way to be in two places at once. We know. And we are two, not one - as you are."

Even we, two people trapped in one body, knew that.

"You think that being half-Ghost is literally easier than being in two places at once?" Vlad asked, raising his eyebrow and we immediately felt bewildered. "One impossible thing and you simply give in. Pathetic."

Phantom itched at that.

Vlad sighed and rose, switching in to his other form without flourish or any kind of grand movement.

"Phantom, as I am sure you know," Vlad said, hands behind his back as he stepped even farther towards us. Making me shiver. "Ghosts have certain abilities that can't be learned. Do you know what those are?"

"The basics, of course," Phantom answered, grumbling and still a bit put off by being called pathetic. "Invisibility, intangibility, ecto-generation, and the occasional rare ability - Or.. well abilities.."

We knew that well. We were still trying to find out niche, but we were getting better. Every ghost had something they were good at that nobody else was good at. Even us. Some took a long time to even kind of develop. Though that was from lack of actually practicing and finding what we could do rather than just not having the abilities.

"You already know a few of mine," Vlad said, as he took a deep breath. "I see no reason why I should keep this one a secret from you."

Phantom and I watched, ready to get up and run away at the slightest sign of trouble.

We were utterly unprepared as Vlad stepped to the right and... **stayed** where he was as well. Now, after that simple movement that had to be a trick of the light, there were two Vlads. Standing side by side, one with his hands on his hips and the other hovering above the ground in a pose that didn't encourage us to think he was helpless. Our head snapped back and forth as we looked at each of the Vlads.

"I'm sorry," I managed to say with Phantom's mouth. He didn't protest. "I seem to have started hallucinating."

The first Vlad quirked an eyebrow. "That is probably because you are not hallucinating -"

"There are actually two of me." The second Vlad finished. He added, "It's a special ability, I have -"

Then split into another one. There were now three. Phantom was sidled up next to me having a small but well-meaning panic attack.

_:I've heard of Ghosts who have this ability.:_ He said in something that was a mix between awe and frightened-half-back-to-death. _:But a fucking Halfa?:_

_:Holy hell.: _I responded just as quietly. _:Who the hell decided Halfa's should have this much power?:_

Whatever game we were playing had just gotten five times harder.

The third Vlad simply said, "It's called self-duplication. And this is how we are going to ruin your father."

I had a premonition, of what exactly the party would look like tomorrow. My father, his eyes glowing red briefly as Vlad settled into the meat-suit that was my father, running around and causing destruction and chaos in his wake. Vlad and I and my family and everyone else would be running away or trying to fight back. We wouldn't get anywhere, and the longer it went on the more glorious it became.

Phantom even stirred at the image, adding in his own blood-lusting ways. Instead of simple destruction, there was actual damage. Blood.

"You're going to utterly destroy him." Phantom said, gaining control of himself but still not strong enough to be anything more than a whisper. Awe was still rushing through our blood stream and I wasn't about to stop it. It helped me keep a level head.

One of the Vlads, the one still on the Vlad, popped his collar, smoothed it again, and closed his eyes as if he was basking in the pleasure of our gazes. "Yes. Yes I am."

I felt a trill of anticipation worm its way into my gut as I stared straight into what could possibly be the future. I saw and I was afraid, so was Phantom, but the overriding emotions was anticipation for the freedom we would be getting.

And it was rising.

Steadily.

* * *

><p>So... How'd you guys find it?<p> 


	6. Jack Attack

I have had the rest of the pages done, I have just been incredibly lazy. So, I apologize, but this will be done before the end of December, posting wise. Then I can FINALLY focus on Foxtrot with all of this behind me.

"WORD" Regular dialogue

:_WORD_: Inner dialogue between Danni and Phantom

* * *

><p><strong>Jack Attack<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Talk." Vlad said flatly. Clearly his mind had focused on Jazz and her observation skills. "About what?"<em>

**-~DP~-**

I was standing next to the punch bowl in my little, blue dress, talking with a reporter from Wisconsin.

Well — talking was a stretch.

It had gone a little more like this: I had been by the punch bowl and the lady had come out of **nowhere**, to _accost _me. Full on contact was made when she put her hand onto my shoulder. Intimately close as we were, a whole three feet, she spoke. And what she had to say was very, very important.

"I'm sure as a high school student; you can see the problem with all of the Vending machines, right?"

_:What a reporter she is._: I said warily.

Wanting very much to hit my head against a vending machine - They were just the perfect height for such an action - Danni held it in.

_:You think it's the blue?:_ Phantom said with a snicker. He had been idly listening to our conversation while keeping an eye-ear out for trouble. It was his duty to. Plus, he had been snarky this morning and rude. Which hadn't abated.

Instead of giving in and staying quiet, I calmly sipped my drink and spat at him, :_Shut your whore mouth.:_

Like a lady.

I voiced to the woman. "You don't say?"

The reporter, an asian lady by the name of Tiffany Snow - or something similar - was more sure of herself than Tucker on Meat Monday, more boring than any single one of Mr. Lancers lectures I had ever sat through before, and more in-my-face than my parents. Fortunately for me, she was just a distraction.

A distraction before the main event. Albeit a tiresome, slowly-angering side-event, but a side event none the less. Though the **real **distraction was standing in high heels.

I loved them dearly, like my own children, but they could be a right pain in the ass. Or heel.

_:She's talking again,:_ Phantom warned me as he mentally rolled his eyes, well aware I was inside our head more than outside it.

Snow continued, her rant gaining momentum (_somehow_). "The nutrition on those food products are off the wall! You can understand that, right? As a self-appreciating citizen, at the very least-"

My eyes were past the glazed point. I couldn't listen to any more of this drivel. But I had to. Gah. Annoying.

_:Do you think,:_ Phantom began, _:That if we kill her and throw her body behind Vlad's mansion, and we start running __**now**__ — we would be caught by the humans before the ghosts?:_

Phantom was not helping curb the murderous instinct in my body.

_:Another time, Phantom. We gotta work the system.:_

_:You mean conveniently name-drop and get Snow's attention so she comes to find us, first, at the end of the night?:_

I chuckled in my head, while responding aloud to Snow.

"You're right." I said, wide eyed and faux-shocked. Something I had perfected over the years with Jazz. Show interest. Get interest. It was a simple equation. "I've never really thought about how awful that vending machine food is for us kids."

Acting as if I was thinking hard about something, I blinked doe-ishly.

"I have a friend, Samantha Manson, maybe you've heard of her family?"

Snow gasped and nodded four times in rapid succession.

_:Hook line and sinker.: _I crowed while still keeping the stupid bambi expression.

Continuing as if it was nothing, waving my hand fondly as well, I sweetened the pot. "You have? Really? Great! Well Sam, that's what we call her, she is an Ultra-Recyclo Vegetarian. You know what that is right? Oh you do. Wonderful! Well, she loves these kinds of things. She would love to hear about this!"

_:Please, Sam don't kill me for this.:_ I begged in my mind, watching as Snow grew more alive, more interested in me, and more in my face. The conversation taking off at an alarming rate.

_:Survival of the fittest,:_ Phantom snickered.

"Manson? As in _The Mansons_? Oh my - The toothpick industry, right? I had no idea their daughter was such a revolutionary woman… Do you think I could get an exclusive?" Snow was practically salivating now. I could see the gears turning in her head. Dollar signs flashing in her eyes and the voice of her boss giving her a promotion. It was kind of cute how it all played out on her face.

"Well… I don't know." I said, feigning uncertainty, knowing I had her. "If you give me your contact information, I could give it to her —"

There was a napkin in front of my face with a scribble name and number, and even **email address** before I could finish. Before I could blink.

I took it with a smarting smile, and shoved it into my hand purse. _Man, these people. _

I opened my mouth to give her the information she wanted when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

Snow's eyes grew wide and glossy. I guess that meant that whoever it was had to be…

Yep. It was **Vlad**.

Dressed to the nines, too. Black suit, dark grey tie, and shiny black shoes. He was the picture of sophistication.

As I turned around and smiled at him, trying not to make it forced, he smirked at Snow. Seeing our positioning, with Snow so close and myself backed into a table, Vlad raised a brow to me.

"I do hope you don't mind. Daniella's parents asked if I would send her their way."

_:Liar.:_ Phantom lightly, no real bite to his words. He had started to develop a headache over Snows driveling.

It was strange, but I didn't mind the blatant lies either. There was just something about someone lying _for_ you, to help you out, than to lying to _you_, instead. Just something about it that had my heart pounding. Something that was better than honesty. Better than family even.

I wondered at it's taste, because it wasn't bitter. It was almost... light. Airy.

Smirking at Snow, Vlad quickly sidled up next to me and placed a hand possessively on my shoulder.

"I do so hope I am not interrupting?"

The lady was starstruck easily and turned into a goop of babbling idiot.

"Oh, of course not! Mr. Masters, please, don't be bothered by-"

Vlad was already well on his way to steering me away, as politely as he could.

"Yes, yes – Thank you very much." He said without looking back.

I breathed a sigh of relief, finally away from the crazed conversations of vending machines of **all **things. Even if I hadn't sealed the deal with Snow. We had all night. Or well. An hour.

"I could kiss you right now." I whispered conspiratorially to Vlad from the side of my mouth.

He chuckled and winked, he snatched two glasses off a waiters tray. Handing me one. I had hoped it would be something alcoholic, but it looked to just be fruit punch.

Still, I took it.

"Now, now," Vlad said, returning his hand to my shoulder for easier steering. "That would give the tabloids a little _more_ than I was hoping tonight. And I do plan to give them quite a full evening."

"What?" I said playfully, watching carefully so as no one overheard us. We were not loud but still. "You don't want to give them an appetizer?"

Raising his own glass to his lips, Vlad whispered, "Play the game, my dear, don't let it play you."

_:You two are so... drole.:_ Phantom rolled his eyes. It was so forceful that our body followed along and the motion flowed into the physical world. It was times like this that we were so linked that we were one. Like now. The buzzing in our veins singing of how much we wanted the 'event' to happen already.

It was terrifying. How in tune we were. How much we wanted this.

Anticipation came with a certain comfortableness I hadn't known before. Like a surety of fact. Like a better fit into the skin I was in, a better hand than the one I had been dealt.

"It's time I made good on my threat," Vlad said, abruptly. A certain note of disdain in his voice.

I quirked an eyebrow and looked up at him but Vlad was already start to steer me towards my mother.

"Threat?" I asked.

"Bring you to your parents, of course, little badger."

_:Play our part.: _Phantom said, nudging along my thoughts.

I snapped into my act quickly.

"I had just wanted some punch. Maybe, some peace and quiet also," I complained loudly to all who wanted to hear. Get their eyes on me and their ears on my voice. I needed to be loud, obnoxious. People needed to remember me.

"She came out of **nowhere**."

"Mhmm," Vlad hummed non-noncommittally as we walked even closer to my mother, and now my father, who had joined her with a plate full of ordures almost five-inches high.

I noticed, for the first time, that Vlad's hand had slipped lower on my back. I kept my blush down, I really did.

_:Now who's the liar.:_

"Now look at me. No punch and I feel almost... almost **violated**."

I phantom shivered as if Snow's touch was still there, on my shoulder, to disguise the other shiver of delight from Vlad's hand.

Phantom chuckled at my mental image of Snow getting closer and closer, with her phone number written in bold blue ink on her forehead and sharp teeth like a vampire. It was a very characurtured picture.

The laugh was back from Vlad, drawing attention. I almost wanted to shy away, but I remembered that attention was good. I wanted people to see me. Perhaps not the freak we were, but me. A little girl. Tonight would be all about placement of that attention. If it was on Vlad and I (for now), and for a small part of the evening — we were safe. As long as we had an alibi, we were good.

_Jack on the other hand_... My eyes flickered towards him as he stuffed mounds of food into his waiting gob.

_:No amount of bribery will get him out of this.: _Phantom said. No mercy.

_:No amount of attention will free him from his fate.: _I agreed.

I smirked rather evilly but smothered it as Maddie and Jack both looked towards Vlad and I.

"Elle!" I heard from behind and almost groaned. But I turned and smiled as Jazz came around. Dodging a few pudgy bellies and holding her drink high at some points so as not to spill it. It was the same colored drink as mine, so I had to assume she was drinking punch. Which was odd, because she hated the flavor of strawberries and mangos.

I almost wanted to complain that she had gotten her punch, try and be funny and coy but I didn't. Her smile was dainty and innocent, but there was a touch of fire behind it. As if she was hiding something.

"Yeah, Jazz?" I asked as she closed in.

Jazz shot a hero-worshiping-slash-_something-els_e smile towards Vlad before turning towards me with a hard glare. I raised an eyebrow, thinking;

_"What now?"_

_:She seemed fine when we left her yesterday.: _Phantom said then we both blinked dumbly as she snatched me from under Vlad's palm and tugged me towards one of the closer walls. Her arm linked through mine as she handed me the glass she had been holding.

"Sorry!" She said to Vlad before rounding on me.

"_We need to talk._"

With that, I was once again man-handled somewhere I did not want to go. Not as roughly as before.

Vlad waved off my apologetic glance, not hearing what was going on at all as his eyes set on someone else. Looking to where he was looking, I almost gagged.

His eyes were on my mother.

I still thought that was disgusting. Having not liked the woman for a good portion of my life. It was almost _sacrilege _that she was the _sought after prize_ of **someone**. Anyone. Especially the person giving me the perfect get-away, trump card. Especially Vlad.

A small part of me, backed by Phantom knowing me so well, reminded me that perhaps — just maybe — the reason I was so angry was because nobody looked at me that way.

But what could I say? Nothing, that's what.

In a far corner, Jazz finally stopped pulling me.

_:She's freakishly strong... Does she lift fourteen encyclopedias a day or something? :_ Phantom asked as I rubbed feeling back into my arm. There were even fingerprints from where she had dug in.

It was amusing, Phantom's continued mumbling, but Jazz's face was not.

"A little harsh, Jazz." I said as I smiled up at her as I rubbed my arms up and down, the blood slow. "One would think you didn't love them with a grip like **that**."

The blood circulated a little faster. Getting body fluid back into my fingers, which had fallen asleep as I had been relaxing a little more. Tension dying but being brought back by Jazz's face.

"_What do you think you're doing_?"

I could only blink at the fire in her voice. The whisper that was like a snake. It was becoming clear that I had apparently not factored Jazz into anything correctly. The equation of Jazz had just become complicated.

But she couldn't know of our plan. I blinked dumbly at that thought. **Hell, she didn't even really know **_**me**_**. **

Nervously, I rubbed the back of my head.

"Doing what?"

"Don't ' doing what' me!" She said, as she tapped her toe. "You know exactly what you've been doing!"

I blinked because, I obviously didn't know what I was doing.

Jazz only threw up her arms before whispering angrily,

"It's so unhealthy. So detrimental to your health!" Her voice dropped even lower. "Do you not care what people will _say_?"

Though she did not raise her voice, I stepped back. There was an almost physical quality to her voice, that could have been a slap had she tried.

"I'm serious, Jazz... what..." I gulped. "What did I do this time? I've been in my room all day and night."

_:Even __**I **__am unsure what we could have possibly done...: _Even on team Jazz, Phantom was baffled.

I raked my brain to find the cause. She had not been this angry since... since that time I had accidentally shot Bearburt with an ecto-gun when I had been five years old. And it had been an accident. Hardly my fault. If anyones fault it should have been my father's but he never got blamed for things.

"What's wrong?" Jazz asked, rhetorically. Mocking. I jerked back at the tone. "Your relationship with Vlad Master's is what's wrong, Daniella!"

It was loud enough that I immediately searched to see if anyone else had heard her. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to us.

:_What had I done? And what relationship?: _I puzzled through my thoughts with Phantom's help.

I had my reasons for everything I did. Sure, sometimes they were stupid and not very well thought out, but they were **my **reasons.

I did not show my fear of Vlad, so that couldn't be it. Jazz couldn't have picked up on that, especially with how nice I was being to him and him to me. I had also spent my time with him more often than not lately, but that was a moot point. He was the one who came to **my room**.

What was unhealthy about this? Besides the fact that I was half-dead.

She didn't know of that, did she?

Scrutinizing Jazz, I realized it had to be no. There was no way she could know.

"What did I do?" I asked, looking up at her — Not quite sure when I looked down — With as much trust and honesty as I could without throwing up, I turned on the puppy-dog eyes. I turned on the water-works as well, allowing a little film of tears to start just under my lid. Jazz softened like a parent would after their child did something cute. Her grip on her own arms had lessened.

"This is so unhealthy, _Ella_," She said by way of explaining, eyes looking and jumping anywhere but me. "Can't you see that trying to go after a man twice your age will only ever end in heartache and failure?"

_**:WHAT?:**_

"WHAT?"

I fell against the wall. Mouth dropped.

"It's clear," Jazz said, not paying attention to my mini-heart attack and taking it as a sign she was right. "You've got a crush on Mister Masters. You've been trying to spend time with him so he will pay attention to you. It's all very clear to see, Elle. It's very obvious."

Looking sad and mournful, she looked over at our parents and Vlad. "I just wish I would have noticed and recognized the signs earlier -"

"Stop." I commanded, wide eyed.

There was an almost audible sound as her jaw clicked shut.

Jazz waited carefully, patiently, for me as if I would cry because she'd found out my 'secret'. When in reality I was reeling over the fact that Jazz had thought,_ for who knows how many days-hours-minutes,_ that I was crushing **so hard **on Vlad, that I stalked him in _his own_ house.

"I'm confused – you think... you think I've got a crush on Vl-Mister Masters?" I asked, just to clarify.

She nodded and I beat my head against the wall.

"Ella!" Jazz said as she pulled me away.

_:How the hell did she get that?:_ I demanded.

_:Well, you do have a crush on him...: _Phantom pointed out.

_:That's not the point!: _I snapped._ :I'm not talking with him about demonizing and demeaning my father in front of everyone here just because he happens to have really nice cheek bones! He's powerful. He's dangerous. I'm not __**that **_crazy_.:_

_:Cheek bones?:_

_:Fuck you.:_

I looked away from the wall and noticed that Jazz was in a stance of vicious surety, his hand still on my arm. Mother bear mixed with a Black Widow. Tight lipped and eyebrow raised. As if she had me in her net and I couldn't escape.

She'd never actually used this.. this… pose on me. Other kids on the playground who bullied me? Yes. In a heart beat, but me? It was a little unnerving.

Groaning, I tried to explain.

"I don't..." Then it hit me, whispered by Phantom.

_:Don't fight her. __**Derail **__her._:

"Mister Masters shares the same views as I do on Ghosts. That's why we've been talking so much." There. I hadn't outright said I didn't have a crush on him. "And _he _comes to my room, Jazz. Not the other way around. If there is anything inappropriate... maybe you should go to him first?"

Her jaw flopped open.

"What?" Now it was her turn to look bewildered. Her head snapping as she looked at me from where she had been looking away.

Sensing a budding weakness, I pounced on it. "Mister Masters. And me. We're not a... a thing. Okay? He believes like me. Believes that ghosts are sentient and deserving of a better life than what our parents keep trying to tell us. And he has _science _to back it up!"

Smiling genuinely, I told her the honest truth of what I thought of that. Here I allowed the true wonder at having found Vlad shine through.

"It's amazing."

Honesty. It was an honesty I hadn't allowed to actually be spoken aloud. Something that tasted foreign on my tongue, but Vlad was a game changer. He deserved some semblance of honesty from me, after all.

"Science to back up his observations! It's just... refreshing to talk to someone who believes the same way I do. Ya know? I think he thought so too. And we only ever drank tea. I promise. He left when I went to bed. There was nothing..." I blushed. "_Inappropriate_."

Jazz's eyes were glassy as her mouth hung open but she nodded.

"I just… I saw that you and Vlad have been hanging out… a lot, and I just assumed - but if it's Mister Master who is coming and going and -"

I opened my mouth to protest, trying to get her to see truth. She cut me off, and probably for the better. I might have blabbed and revealed too much.

"No. It's the truth. Don't lie. Whenever I would try and visit, Vlad was already there."

_:When the hell was that?:_

_:He's come to our room like... three times? If even __**that**__.:_

"But it's not like that -"

"No," Jazz raised a hand to stop me, narrowing her eyes. "You can say it was ghosts, but come on. That much time? Just with you? About ghosts?"

Clearly Jazz underestimated us. Which was good, but baffling.

"All his free time has been with you. It's **definitely** been with you. I've kept track. When he's not been at work or whatever else he does in his free time, it's always back to your room."

I was… lost.

Jazz sounded like a jealous Fangirl.

_:Why?:_

She'd never reacted this way to me hanging out with adults before.

Granted I didn't actually** hang out** with many people before all this. Adults included.

Did she see something different? It was as if she was jealous over the 'relationship' Vlad and I had. Even though she had no idea the _insanity _Vlad and I placed on the world. Or the insanity and new definition of 'relationship' we had created.

_:Maybe... Maybe she is a jealous Fangirl. Just not with all adults. Just. One specific adult. Vlad.:_

Baffled I said, :_That doesn't – make sense.:_

It clicked.

_:Oh. __**Oh no**__. It does Ohmygod it does, doesn't it?:_

_:Danni, you can be dense. And I love you, but really. She thinks you two are __**romantically **__involved, makes sense she would be angry because of her own feelings?:_

Suddenly the light bulb clicked and I shook my head and looked up through my fringe.

Jazz had a crush on him, too?

I immediately flinched.

We both thought the same middle-aged man was hot. And that same middle aged man was in love with our mother.

Holy shit.

_:That's... _ew_. Gross.: _All fifteen year olds have the obligated response of disgust. It's a normal part of life that even I am a participant in. I looked at Jazz and could see the expression on her face was exactly that. One of a woman scorned. Phantom had his own memories that he shared with me, and that expression was clearly scorn.

_Oh god._ I wanted to go dig a hole and die in it. Preferably stay dead, too.

_:Tell me this honestly occurred to you?: _Phantom demanded.

_:You're in my head, you tell me.:_ I answered.

_:You're... insufferable.:_

Mind racing, I tried to see the benefit of all of this.

But... Vlad and I? Like for real? A crush was one thing but like **like**? It was almost as bad as someone falling in love with their puppy. Or a person falling in love with a flower. It was a level of wrong I did not want to get into. Not counting the age differences. There was the social class difference, along with the power difference. Add on the whole slavery deal, and the whole shebang could become a level of wrong-right I** did not** want to think of.

"Jazz… There is nothing going on between Vlad and I." I promised, wholeheartedly, a healthy blush floating across my nose. For more than one reason. And one of them included that Vlad could very well be my master one day. My logical brain not getting rid of **that **one thought.

Master. Vlad. Collars. Being **owned**.

_:Kinky_: Phantom thought, but there was a note of stress in his voice. As if he was just acting.

I blushed harder, enough that it looked like I might have caught a fever.

"Alright," Jazz said, clearly not buying it. "I didn't mean - "

"No. No. You're right though Jazz. You were right to worry and confront me. I can see what you thought... but, it's just... I mean, nobody shares the same views as I do."

I clenched my fist, more than aware of how many people believed my way.

"It was nice to talk to someone about ghosts without it being all **doom** and **destruction**. Even if it was apparently in all of his waking hours."

"I mean, he doesn't believe like Dad and Mom. How crazy is that?" The two names tasted like filth on my tongue, but I had to use them around Jazz. She was too innocent to understand how much I loathed them. Or at least the very thought of them.

"I'm glad for you. I really am." Jazz said, reaching across and hugging me tightly. I allowed it.

_:I sense a lie.:_

_:I'll take it.: _Really any day I would take it.

The hug lasted a good long while.

Jazz being one of the other people I would allow hug me. Or even touch me. Everyone else I would snap at. With the exception of Vlad and his stupid hand grabbing or arm grabbing, or just... well Vlad-ness.

I had enough sense to not bite the hand that could, metaphorically speaking, feed me one day.

Phantom's words, not mine.

Plus, Vlad couldn't give 'Jazz hugs'. Jazz supplied the best _cleansing_ hugs. Like I was being cleaned out from all the bad I had done, would do, and was planning to do. She had that effect on me.

Vlad had a hand that invoked fear in me. Healthy, horrible, fear, but healthy all the same. And he was hot, so I was a mess in_ other ways_ too.

With Jazz… I guess it could be described as rainbows and sunshine. I felt like a better person, hugging Jazz, than I had hugging anyone else. Because of her hugging me like only a sister could. It might have been the reason I hadn't turned sour long ago. She made me want to be a better person.

But I knew I wasn't.

"Sorry about that Danni… I didn't mean to imply..." Jazz drew me outside my mind. "I just worry about you."

"It's fine." I promised, cutting her off. "No harm, no foul."

_But was it really?_

What if we, both of us, Phantom and I, had lived a life that would have been filled with acceptance and love… What would it have been like to be good? To be… one person in this body? To have parents that actually cared?

I hadn't been raised with that. Neither had Phantom, though he was past the point of anyone raising him. Nor had I been gifted with one mind.

We weren't good, either. We were simply trying to survive.

_:We're too tainted to be good.:_ Phantom responded to my mental question, and I hadn't even been really aware of it.

There was really only acceptance left_. _

_:Yes we are.:_

I was going to make sure that my parents remembered that one fact. If nothing else. Even if they didn't acknowledge that they knew it. I was going to make sure they **knew, **eventually, that I was not what they were ever going to want or need.

I would be free from them. From what they had done and what they had neglected to do.

_:It's nice to feel… her goodness.: _I tried to explain my action to Phantom as I refused to let go of Jazz.

_:It is.:_

_:But... But it's just a figment. Of the real thing, anyway.:_

_:How do you mean?:_

_:We live in the real world. She lives only half in it.:_

There was a pause.

_:Isn't that something.: _Phantom responded to himself.:_We live the half-life in the real world, and she lives her life fully in a fantasy.:_

He chuckled sardonically to himself. I didn't even try to stop him.

The grandfather clock struck nine and I mentally jumped. It was so close to time. Just till the end of the bell's. Twelve ding-dongs and then the show would really begin.

Jazz, apparently snapped out of it as well, pulled away and smiled. "I'm so sorry I accused of... all of that. I really didn't think it through. Forgive me?"

"You're forgiven." I said, immediately.

She smiled gracefully.

The clock continued to toll. Quickly approaching nine strikes, in accordance with nine o'clock.

_:What do you think it's going to be like?: _Phantom asked, voice steeped in anticipation.

_:I think it's going to be perfect.: _I responded.

The toll ending on a note so drawn out I almost thought it was cartoonish.

Then, the lights went out.

* * *

><p>I felt proper fear strike through me, holding me hostage in my gut. Even though I could see perfectly fine, it was a reaction that was wrung out of me and into the darkness. Like a damp cloth being wrung out of water.<p>

In the darkness, I saw the figure of one of Vlad's clones in the moon-light, high up near the far corner of the ceiling. He must have been hanging out there since the beginning of the evening, hidden by invisibility. His cape twirling around him as he sought out his target.

People around us whispered hurriedly. Worried.

It was then that the Vlad clone found what he wanted just as Vlad, the real one, tried to assure his guests that everything was fine.

"Please! Everyone, calm down. A fuse has just blown, and it will be fixed in a timely manner. Please, stay calm -"

Clone Vlad met my eyes as Real Vlad kept talking in that smooth and sure voice of his. Like a message was screamed across the hall, the Clone seized up.

Right in the midst of one of Vlad's sentences which seemed to be a joke, based on how the people laughed, the Clone smirked, gave a thumbs up and finally dive-bombed my father.

It was so perfect.

Jack was screaming in his mind. He had to be. Because, honestly? He was doing some pretty **horrible stuff.** Stuff soft, fudge-loving Jack would never be caught dead doing. Not even some hardened criminals would be willing to do, actually.

Well, at least not to humans. Ghosts, on the other hand, this wouldn't even be considered a crime.

As soon as Vlad had taken over, Jack had thrown some nameless person into a wall. A sickening thud the only respite to a vicious roar. The animalistic sight was something to behold as Jack went… well, ape-shit on everyone within a ten meter distance.

People screamed. People ran. Things were thrown at Jack, but it didn't deter him in the slightest.

After the first person went down, the one against the wall, the screaming began in earnest. Starting somewhere in the back of the ballroom and causing Jack to fly forward. Like a bloodhound that had smelt its first blooding.

Bodies went flying, sharp cries rung the air, and the lights came on to chaos. When it finally did come on, anyway.

People were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Woman and men alike were screaming as though it had decided to make a retro-comeback into style. Tables were flipped in an attempt to hide, and the doors had miraculously been sealed shut. Heels flew in an attempt to keep Jack away. Jewelry scatter across the floor and people tripped on it as they ran, terrified for their lives.

_:So. Much. __**Destruction**__.: _Phantom said, his voice husky and needy.

I had to fight Phantom from going into a full on frenzy right there. Well - that was kind of true - I had to fight myself too, because he wasn't the only one who wanted to rip into people and watch the blood run.

The violence-loving half of ourselves, that was shared almost equally, was getting harder to control as true chaos reigned.

My whole body tingled as I watched my father, being controlled by Vlad, shirk years of stupidity in loo of going crazy. Things and people were still being thrown, and I could only now see my mother trying to step up to stop Jack from doing further damage. Trusting that she had that power over her husband when no one else had.

A foolish endeavor, but I couldn't look away from it. Like a trainwreck.

"Jack! Jack!" She was screaming, the music to my ears as I leaned against the wall in an effort to stem Phantom's want for needless destruction. To stem my own needs.

To anyone watching, my shivering might have been accounted to fear. Then again. Nobody was watching me.

"You've got to- _Ohmpfh_!"

And there went my mother, flying through the air and hitting a table with a satisfying 'smack'. My eyes followed the entire trek. My ears soaked up the loudness. The pain. Phantom basked in the entire atmosphere. And we feed of each other.

Jazz was cowering into the wall next to me, arms around me, protectively, and feeling my shivering form. Shivering, not from fear as she assumed, but from my own self-control slipping. Vlad was somewhere in the melee, trying (and failing) to open doors and whatnot. His part was being played to perfection. Except the one part neither of us were really looking forward to.

Vlad had an alibi. Now he needed a reason to go after Jack personally, after all of this. Maddie had been thrown already. His guests had been attacked.

But him? Personally?

That was to come.

The perfect host being attacked by mad guest in five, four, three, two-

A mantra of "Oh my god" relentless in its course, streamed from Jazz's mouth. I could only assume she was freaking out because she had never seen anything as violent as this. Even if she was doing it silently, I could tell she had forgotten about me. If she was thinking about me at all, that is. The scene in front of us was pretty distracting. I couldn't fault her for that.

"Ahh! Stop Jack. Jack! Please, stop this insanity!" Vlad's voice broke out of the throng of pitiful voices.

His strong, but frightened voice.

I got Goosebumps at the responding voice. Dark. Foreboding. Jack as I had never heard him. It set everyone quiet for at least four seconds.

"I don't think so, **Vladdie**."

Then, Jack grabbed Vlad and threw him bodily against a door.

A sickening _**crack **_let everyone know that something was broken. I winced. That was going to be hard to fake in a few weeks after it had healed. Thanks to the Halfa powers. But it just gave something to the drama of it all.

The host had taken a hit for his guests. It would endear him.

After that, it was a blur of absolute _amazing _puppeteering. Jack playing his part, destroying a few more chairs, tables, and valuables, before jumping out a window and running into the wilderness. Vlad had told me that Jack would be at least fourteen miles away before he was released from the strangle hold.

Something, as I watched him, I was glad for. Jack would be pissed. Confused and pissed when he was released.

It did not stop the shivers of delight and fear from running down my spine.

Jazz was against the wall hyperventilating. She had long ago let go of me, in favor of covering her ears and looking away.

All I could think?

_:When can we do that again?: _

Phantom said it with me. Our voice overlapping, echoing in our skull, and sending sweet pangs of want through us.

Inside our minds we were having our own little freak out that had _nothing _to do with the fear of Jack and everything to do with the anticipation of the fall out. The fear was palpable in the air as we breathed in large gulps. I was basking in the warmth of the pandemonium, when it became silent.

I couldn't show everyone how ecstatic I was. I couldn't let them see me as excited. I had them to see me as I was to them. Scared. Frightened. A little girl who's father went batty.

But I had to make it look convincing.

Make it look like I was still pee'ing my pants.

_So_, I thought to myself, _what better way to make people know that what Jack just did was as confusing to them as it was to you? Make them see you as a pathetic little girl whose father just destroyed their lives?_

_Bawl your heart out,__** of course.**_

That was what I proceeded to do. Not an easy thing, I promise you. It had been a long time since I had cried. So, I thought of how messed up my life was, and how horrible it was going to be in the next week. And with it, the tears flowed and I was half aware of Jazz cradling me.

I played my part like a college student on their violin after years of practice, but Vlad played his part like a well-tuned Piano. His performance was Mozart.

"Maddie, are you alright? Did Jack hurt you?" Vlad bravely sported a broken rib, clutching at it heroically as he stumbled over to Maddie, the one who had the worst psychological damage of us all.

I can't even _begin _to imagine what it is like to know someone for so long, then to just have them totally betray you like that… So, I didn't. I just smiled behind my mask of lies. Smiled through the tears, an ugly smile with full teeth.

"Is everyone alright?" Vlad called out, and a chorus of voices all started up, many babbling and many more full of stuck throats. Coughing. Tears were falling all over the place. At least a dozen people were on the telephone, calling 911 and various other people. Lawyers. Doctors.

Everyone.

_:That was more amusing than the time we got YoungBlood wasted.:_ Phantom chuckled innocently in my ear, as though we had just watched a particularly intense match of tennis. I was still sobbing, so I hiccupped to show that it was funny. While simultaneously laughing in my mind. I had gotten progressively better at keeping my body and mind separate. I had hick-ups every now and then, but I was pretty good at it.

I liked to think.

It was a blur after that thought. Everything was just _happening_.

People were hesitant to even look at each other, hoping beyond hope that what had just happened was a fluke. A moment in time and space that would never make sense. A mistake. Police arrived within minutes and took many a reports. Ambulances and medics all came over and checked everyone out.

Jazz and I were left alone, because we had not been bodily thrown anywhere. Not like half the guests had.

Vlad played his part, again and again and again. He gave his condolences, exclamations every now and then that Jack was out of control. He demanded that he be brought to justice, if not for the travesty he made of Vlad Masters party, but for Maddie as well. He demanded that Jack never be allowed near people again.

Maddie sobbing in his arms all the while.

_:I can almost see the care for her.:_ Phantom huffed, watching Vlad maintain my mother.

He had calmed down a good deal since the sounds of screaming had subsided. Without any kind of stimulus, his mental fortitude came back. He could actually have a conversation with me without wanting to bay for the blood around us.

All the while, though, I was watching Vlad. The tears in my eyes were still there but my eyes were now puffy and almost done drying. Through my blurry gaze, I could see what was really setting me off. Vlad and Maddie were inseparable.

_:Would you fucking look at that?: _

Phantom chuckled at my snarl.

_:Oh I see it.:_

It was sickening. Maddie in Vlad's arms. Maddie being comforted. Just Maddie's **happiness **pissed me off. And I hoped that Vlad would see one day that Maddie was nobody's prize. Not anymore at least.

I smirked cruelly. Then Jazz turned to me and scooped me into her arms. She was taller than me, more well filled out, so it wasn't hard for her to crush me against her chest.

"I'm so sorry, Ella."

Instead of answering anything in that statement, I hugged her back.

Because Jazz never deserved anything like this. It struck me that Jazz had no idea what had just happened. She was confused. Hurt. And she had no idea why.

_:I'm sorry, Jazz.:_

It was the first time in a long while I had felt guilty.

So I hugged her back and threw those emotions to the back of my mind. Because I didn't know how to handle guilt, so I wouldn't.

Phantom said nothing.

* * *

><p>Finally, after almost an hour, and Jazz sitting listlessly by my side, arm around my shoulder as if <strong>had <strong>she let go of me, I would have disappeared, Vlad came over to see how we were doing. Maddie finally letting go of him to run towards Jazz and I. But Jazz was the only one who hugged her. I didn't want to touch her. Her soul wasn't all that appetizing to be next to.

Vlad on the other hand...

Smiling, I decided now, that playing my part should be a little more fun than it already was.

So, knowing I should get an award for performance of the century, I threw myself at Vlad and sobbed into his jacket lapels. Let the real waterworks go as my hands clawed into his expensive jacket. He patted my back reassuringly, cooing softly in my ear that everything would be alright. My face was buried in his stomach, so I could only imagine the pity points we both would get for this. I could imagine Vlad's face the mask of sorrow and pain as his best friend's daughter cried into his shirt.

If only someone thought to take a picture.

I heard a flash and immediately thanked Snow for being there.

_:Just for that - I'm going to have Sam give her a ring.: _

Forcefully if necessary.

* * *

><p>By the end of the night, every single one of the guests was baying for Jack's blood.<p>

It would be a surprise if anyone even allowed him a true trial. Many broken bones and hardened hearts said no. Some of the most influential people were against him now, including Vlad. Though, I had a sneaking suspicion than Vlad would hire Jack a lawyer just as crooked as he was. Hell bent on ruining the man.

Because, hey, when you can't totally and utterly murder someone, tarnishing everything about them works just as well.

Or, well, that works for me.

_:And me.:_ Phantom purred.

It was an hour later when people were finally released.

All of the remaining Fentons crashed into their beds, too tired to move.

Except me. I was in my room, sitting on the window sill, at least three feet in the air, and watching the grounds as police had blood hounds ready to track Jack. Their bays were music to my ears. And I could imagine, vividly, what those hounds would do to my father when they found him.

It was a glorious feeling, and Phantom was simply glowing in the lighting.

_:Can we do it again? Huh, pleaseee?:_ Phantom was begging, wanting to go destroy some other poor saps life. The ghost inside him wanting more and more violence._ :I promise that I will allow you free reign when we fly if you only-:_

"Nice touch at the end there," Vlad interrupted him. As I turned around, I already knew that he hadn't changed out of his clothing. There hadn't been time. So there Vlad stood in full suited glory, holding his side. He arranging his jacket around himself with a wince. His rib was probably already half way healed, but he would have to pretend for at least a week.

"Throwing yourself at me like that." He smiled with a chuckle. "Brilliant."

"Thanks." I smirked at him, floating gently down to the chairs. "I thought it would be the icing on the cake."

Vlad had already seated himself. It was almost getting to be habit. Dangerous things those are. Habits.

"I thought the finishing touch of betrayal would be good. Who got the snap-shot anyway?" I asked curiously.

"That would be your biggest fan. Snow." Vlad smirked, hands on the armrests as he relaxed full bodied into the cushion.

"Good thinking, bringing Jazz over to the far corner so she would have the perfect view of your father."

The praise was so undeserved that I had to repent.

"Actually," I coughed, in embarrassment. I had totally forgotten the reason I had originally been dragged over there. "Jazz was the one who had dragged me over. She wanted to.. er, talk."

"Talk." Vlad said flatly. Clearly his mind had focused on Jazz and her observation skills. "About what?"

"Stuff." I said, tucking my feet underneath my bum. Resting my upper body against the right side of the chair. Leaning my head against the flared top of the chair. It didn't really hit me until then just how exhausted I was.

Not killing people was hard.

"I am guessing this is the illustrious, girl stuff… Am I correct?"

I nodded, thankful for the 'out'.

"Ahh," Vlad said, smirking, visibly relaxing. "It still worked. Either way."

"True. True." I said with a yawn. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes with the back of my hand.

Vlad's keen eye caught onto what I had just done.

"You really should get as much sleep as you can, little badger."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Sleep will be a luxury you cannot afford to pay for." Vlad spoke with such authority, I just grumbled. Phantom was apparently already asleep in the back of my mind, or else he would have commented.

Sometimes it felt so empty when he left me early.

"M'kay." I said as I headed for my dresser on unstable feet.

To this day, any day in the future, if Phantom asks me - I defend that I was mentally unstable. Especially to do something like - **undress **in front of Vlad. Even if I never really got naked.

Vlad was in the room still but I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and slipped them on under my dress. A move that was still relatively tame. My heels had been lost somewhere between hugging Vlad and finally getting a check-up, and I missed them, but not enough to go out and find them. I stifled a yawn, before ripping the dress off and donning a comfy sweater.

It smelled like home.

Which I associated with Sam and Tucker more than my house.

I turned around to see Vlad sitting calmly on his chair and just watching me. I blushed, mostly because I realized a little late what I had just done, and what Jazz had said today. Phantom wolf whistled in my ear, and I playfully smacked him in my mind. Even if I had been wearing a bra and a top to keep the top on - it was still more than anyone else had seen.

And as for Phantom... Looks like he **hadn't **been sleeping.

"Still here I see." I muttered for my own benefit. Vlad merely chuckled before rising.

"Yes, still here. And now thoroughly amused." He took a step closer. "Tell me, little badger, do you do that for all your hosts?"

I blinked up at him innocently, wondering in the very deepest recesses of my mind how the hell he had gotten that close that fast. I also wondered when he had started smelling like rosewood and Bambi. Or as close to Bambi as one could get. Forest. That was a good substitute.

"Uhmm…" I stuttered, blinking stupidly. "No?"

"Hemm, really?" Vlad questioned with a smile. He did not move towards me though. "Then I guess I really am _special_."

I was seconds behind his words as he walked past me, towards my door.

"Goodnight, little badger."

My stomach turned knots, twisted with butterflies, and my nose was burning hot. My head spinning, Phantom slowly but surely nodding off, and body falling over; I wondered where the hell my life had taken a wrong turn.

Or a right turn on as much a wrong path as it could.

And how the hell had I arrived at insanity city, population (apparently) two.

* * *

><p>Just realized, when I read over this, how creepy Vlad is.<p>

Wow.

Took me a while. Hahah! For some reason, in my sleep addled mind, I didn't think anything wrong with Vlad watching a 15 GIRL change. I swear, he doesn't think of her anything like that, (yet) more like just that creepy uncle always doing weird shit but well... a little weirder? I donno. I'm trying to portray him as interested and, like, he literally gets **everything** he wants (except Danni's mother) so like, I just assume he's going to be an asshole about it. Even to a girl who has literally never encountered someone like him. And I think he is honestly just curious about her.

Then again they just banded together to get Jack thrown into jail... hmmm. So Danni is a little creepy herself, but having Vlad push her (whom she has a crush on and all that jazz) I think is just icing on the cake.

I don't know where I am going with this authors note.


	7. Is it running away if nobody chases you?

_Chapter 7 here we go!_

"WORD" Regular dialogue

:_WORD_: Inner dialogue between Danni and Phantom

* * *

><p><strong>Is it running away if nobody chases you?<strong>

* * *

><p><em>The pieces of plate hit the back of my leg. I watched in silent disbelief.<em>

_Time slowed for us._

"_Don't say that. We don't know the facts!"_

**-~DP~-**

The drive home was somber and sad. The chugging of the car was the only sound as Maddie stared almost sightlessly at the road. Jazz had her head buried in a book, but hadn't turned the page since mile marker number 89, and we were now almost to 190. It was silent and it was awkward. It was a bad environment for a smile.

For Jazz and Maddie.

Phantom and myself, on the other hand, we were planning like only a century old mastermind and a fifteen-year-old troubled child could. With reckless abandon and little to no plot or reason. There was something akin to a party going on in our heads. With our outward body looking nonchalantly out the window. As it had for the past few hours.

_:So that's a no to the Ice-cream truck than, right?:_ Phantom demanded, voice taunt with emotions.

I sighed and mentally nodded.

_:Too conspicuous, Phantom, buddy, ol' pal.:_

He snorted at my names for him.

_:We need to lay low. We're gonna be smellier than Aunt Alicia's socks on a Friday to these ghosts. We don't __**need **__a giant neon sign pointing us out. What we __**need **__is easy to carry equipment.:_

We already had a list. Phantom was just being stubborn.

_:Well… at least let's bring that stupid bazooka thing and the soup container your parents invented!: _Phantom exclaimed, trying for the umpteenth time to get me to bring huge weapons with us. Even though we would be weighed down by them. Which was really our only advantage. Speed, that is.

_:Phantom.:_ I responded, placatingly. :_Who the __**hell**__ is going to carry those? Because it isn't me. Is it you, Phantom? Is it?:_

A moment of silence. A grumble. A mumbled, _:No.:_

_:That's what I thought.:_ I hummed smugly, watching the scenery drift by at lightning speed. Corn field, meat field, wheat field, farm house, random graveyard. So many odds and ends on this one back road. Such a surprise that Maddie still took it, even though only Jack had ever been able to drive it successfully without hitting a squirrel (still true to this day; Maddie had hit one on mile marker 120).

We reached home with no less than thirteen new battle plans, five escape tricks, and a way to trick at least one ghost, one time. The ghost would have had to have been raised by wolves though… so it might be a bust on that one.

Nobody spoke as we grabbed our respective luggage, waited for Momma dearest to unlock the front door, and bolted to our rooms. Jazz to cry and psychoanalyze her life, and me to sleep. I'm not even sure if Maddie made it past the threshold, but I didn't care. I was past caring.

About six years past caring.

I was taking Vlad's words to heart. _Run. Run fast. Run first. And run often_. And even though I was hoping that I was going to have an easy time avoiding people, I knew I wouldn't be getting a lot of sleep. One thing that was pissing me off to no end. The fact that I was going to be sleep deprived soon.

Because, see - Sleep and me? We clicked like old friends. I **loved **sleep. Hell, my parents had taken to calling me Aurora these past few months if that gave any indication of how much I preferred to just sink under the soft duvet than to ever try and talk to them. Including Jazz.

It was doing a number on my head, thinking about the lack of sleep I - we - would be getting.

We also wouldn't be able to shower as much. Phantom gave a little whoop of joy in my mind, crowing his love of running for all it was worth, as I tossed my bags onto my bed. Grumpily, thinking of that.

_:Just for that, I'm taking one right now,:_ I retorted, sourly. Nothing dampened his mood, and he just sneered as I did just that. :_It's gonna be at least a fifteen minute one!:_

Phantom said nothing, but he was very aware of just how long we would be going without a shower.

So he let me have my moment.

And while inside, soaping up body and hair, I thought back to breakfast at Vlad's, just hours earlier.

* * *

><p><em>Waking up to a handful of Phantom, wanting to get out to fly; was amusing. It was even more amusing when, just as I was changing, Vlad came barging in with the local newspaper, the Beastly Badger. It was a good thing I wasn't in Danni form, because she was wearing the bare minimum of clothing. I was already Phantom by this point, and he was ready to run and frolic, but we were both stopped by Vlad's smile. <em>

_It was nowhere near unpleasant. PLus, he didn't even slightly look put off by our being halfway out the window._

"_Just look at what your _friend_ Snow got us."_

_Phantom floated over hesitantly, and snatched the paper, energy buzzing and just wanting to be released. Though, when we both looked at the picture and title on the front page, I couldn't stifle a giggle that escaped Phantom's mouth._

"_Guest Gone Wild!" _

_The picture on the front page was of me flinging myself at Vlad, the title huge and bold right below it, flanked by a smaller picture of a smiling Jack. The picture of him was old. Almost as old as I was if the chops were anything to go by. I had to say, ignoring Jack, I looked smashing for being a mess. And I did look the part. Wrecked girl reaching out for the only father figure in her life after father goes raging bear on the guests. That was actually the caption, but it sounded better coming from my own mouth. _

_I was even more amused by some of the sentences I read: "Vlad Masters, the host attacked by brute, and Daniella Fenton, the daughter to said brute, embrace over the traumatic experience; Maddie Fenton was not conscious to give comment." "All in shock over the devastation wreaked this night."_

_Jack was referred to as monster, bigot, insane ghost-hunter, a blasphemous piece of filth, and even bastard child of a ghost. I had quirked my eyebrow at that. Surely they would use better slurs than that?_

_Phantom looked up to see Vlad smirking triumphantly. Hands behind his back, and straightened in pride. His life's work finally completed._

"_And the best part isn't even on this page," Vlad added, while taking the newspaper back and flipping to page number five. The continuation of the story. Where it basically said that Jack had been caught in the woods, half naked and rambling about ghosts. _

_He was now in isolation, waiting for his trial date._

_There was a moment, just when Vlad and Phantom caught eyes; before they both burst out laughing. It was hysterical, and free, and just a tad insane. And even though it was not my body doing it, Phantom and I were __**one**__ doing it. It was the second time, that that had ever happened, where we were almost totally one person. _

"_I can't believe that actually happened last night." I whispered, using Phantom's voice. _

_"It was strangely…" _

_I couldn't think of a word. Even though there were many._

"_Addicting?" Vlad asked, with a smirk. And after I thought about it, I decided that that fit quite well. _

_I nodded._

:Fits more than well.:_ Phantom snickered in my mind._

"_Oh, yes," Vlad said. "You do know the reason behind it? I assume?"_

_This time, Phantom and I were in tandem with our nod, though Phantom spoke. "The scientific side of things I never understood, but we get the blood rage, the lust — all that fun stuff."_

_Vlad nodded. "It's got to do with the many aspects of being a ghost. Do you know what those are?"_

_We stayed silent. It seemed as if Vlad was going to give a free lesson. We didn't want to interfer. Anything the older halfa could give us would be beneficial. He stepped forward and touched Phantom's chest with a single finger as he floated. "Your core, obviously, is unique to your ghost side. __**Everything **__that makes up anything to do with our ghost-halves, always comes back to our core. I am going to assume you know this."_

_Phantom nodded, wearily._

"_We ghosts are made up of core, body, and mind. Likewise, humans are made up of spirit, body, and mind. There are many ways to feed each part of our 'pieces' so to speak, but not every ghost nor human does it the same way. There are numerous ways ghosts transform energy from one thing to another; the most common, and the reason ghosts get such a bad reputation, is that most of those ghosts are the kind who feed off of fear."_

_I found myself listening, even as Phantom was growing impatient to fly._

"_Instinctively, we, that is __**ghosts that feed off of fear**__, need a way to hunt." _

_I narrowed my eyes, but he paid us little mind as he clasp his hands behind his back._

"_Much like a lion has its color and its ferocity on its side, or a hawk has its size and speed and wings - ghosts have the needed power to feed through violence and also through depressive means. And with that we must then be violent beings. Correct?"_

"_**Yes**__." Phantom answered. _

_I voiced through Phantom's mouth, "What is scientific about that?"_

"_Many things." Vlad laughed. "Most specifically survival. If we need violence, but the person in question does not like being violent - Well, they will perish. That is only logical. So we have instincts, that make it quite easy to absorb the tension of our environment and become rather... __**vicious **__about it, too. Blood lust makes it easy for a squeamish ghost to draw blood and fear."_

"_What about those that do not feed on fear? Destruction?" I found myself asking._

_Vlad scoffed. "There are many other kinds of ghosts. Too many to count, actually. If I went through the different hunting techniques for each ghost - you would never leave." _

_He didn't look too put-off by that answer, either, which had me furthering the conversation. Or rather, poking Phantom until he did._

"_Can we continue this discussion later?" Phantom finally gave into himself. "I'm interested. Really. I am. But I haven't flown for almost three days and its making me __**antsy**__. And itchy."_

_Vlad quirked an eyebrow._

"_Please, don't let me hold you back." Vlad chuckled, waving me away with a hand. A clearly dismissive. As if he had the right to dismiss us._

_A kind of sinking feeling in my gut reminded me that he had as much right as any high-level-powered ghost._

_"Merely wanted to let you see the news."_

_Phantom was half listening, and as soon as Vlad had finished his sentences, was flying out the window, intangible and invisible. The wind rushed up to greet us, dragging long fingers through our hair and smoothing palms over our torso. It immediately calmed all thoughts of violence, instead replacing them with warmth. And the need to run and run and run. Forever if we could get away with it._

:I wonder if everyone feels this way.:_ I spoke to Phantom, as we flew far enough up that everyone below were ants. _:When they fly. I mean. An' I mean ghosts, because humans can't and no human should have this right. Too much power in their control. Too much greed.:

_Phantom chuckled, but agreed. _:I think all ghosts must be… less composed when they fly. Maybe something about the experience calms us?:

:Or we could just be insane?:

_I smirked as we floated on our back, the sun heating up the front of our suit. The wind was calm up here, at this level. Below and farther above the wind was strong, but here (as cheesy as it sounds) was perfect._

_And we floated on our back, talking about everything and nothing. We tried to just morph our minds, continue to become more and more alike and more and more the same. Our minds were still too separate though, but it did not stop us. We had to get more in sync. It could be the difference between a mark or freedom.  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>:Are we done yet?:<em> Phantom demanded, shivering in the warm spray of water. Drawing me out of the memory.

I snorted and quickly finished up. The water stopping short as I stepped around to grab a fluffy towel. A necessity of the bathroom I was also going to miss. The towel around my torso covered all the important bits, even though Jack was not in the house. I had to keep up appearances after all—

I stopped short as I wrung my hair. Fingers twisting into a tangle as they lost their grip.

Jack was not in the house.

It took a second for that to sink in. Like lotion on dry skin. Or sand just after a shallow wave.

Jack was not in charge. Jack was gone. Jack was... a memory.

Jack was **nothing**.

Which meant... I was free. Or... as free has I had been in all my life. The weight of my father, which was quite humongous, had lifted. I felt like I could breath. As if I was flying away from all my problems but it hadn't been left the ground.

Jack had had so many ridiculous rules. Rules that I hadn't been able to break. Don't touch the ghost portal (broke it but they didn't know). Don't touch the fudge in the fridge (they have **cameras** on that thing). Never walk through the house naked. Don't make fun of the mail-man. Don't bring boys over (except Tucker). Don't bring stray animals into the house.

So many 'don't's had just become 'do''s.

With a giant smile, I rushed out of the bathroom, hair only half wrung and flapping wildly. I pulled on some jeans and a shirt (after the underwear and bra, of course), almost fell down the stairs in my haste, before running all the way to the fridge to grab the fudge. The Fudge. The pride and joy of my father. The lump of deliciousness that I had not been allowed to touch before. Or any of its lumpy, chocolatey predecessors.

I smiled hugely as I placed it in the middle of the table. The water from my hair still dripped down onto the table.

_:You're not serious, are you?:_ Phantom asked, exasperated.

I just smiled and did the one thing that would have gotten me grounded for a month. Something that would have possibly gotten me disowned. Could still get me disowned.

I licked the fudge. Nothing happened. No giant fanfare. No bazooka to the face.

Then, I took a gigantic bite of it, relishing the rebellion-chocolate in my mouth. It tasted like any old fudge, but the real euphoric taste came from the fact of it being forbidden. Taking my time, I chewed. I chewed slowly, closing my eyes in ecstasy. It tasted like freedom. I still wasn't quite sure what that exactly tasted like, but it was a wild and gamey taste.

Something that really made me purr.

Never would I have thought fudge would be the thing to really, truly, set me free.

"What on earth are you doing, Danni!" Maddie's voice screamed, which made me jump.

I turned to look at her with a face full of fudge. Maddie looked worse than she had all day. Her eyes were puffy from crying, she hadn't changed her suit, and her hair was a mess. Yet, she looked at me with clear betrayal on her face. The chocolate covering my lips was given a sneer as though it was blood.

I chewed slowly as I thought over my words. Phantom whispering conspiratorially in my ear, _:Maybe we won't have to run away. We'll probably get kicked out… At least, we'll go out with a bang.:_

"I'm rebelling against my father who went psycho." I responded truthfully, in a way.

Because it was my father's body that had gone ape-crazy on everyone, and therefore I think anyone should be able to rebel. I was also getting revenge for years of mental neglect. Maddie didn't need to know that. I was still working on her. Still making the subtle plans to ruin her as well.

As long as Vlad allowed it.

Though I didn't think that was a problem. Vlad could have her, and then when he tired of her, I could mentally destroy her.

Not important though. Back to Maddie. To the fight that was about to start.

"Your father is just… _ill._" Maddie claimed, walking over and taking the fudge from me.

I frowned as the delicious sin was removed.

Maddie kept babbling, as I stood up from the table.

"It can't have been him that did what he did last night…" Her eyes grew large. "He was… he was — He was overshadowed! That's it…"

I narrowed my eyes at her as she held herself together just barely. Her excuse actually making sense, and way too close to home. I wanted to beat the sense _out_ of her head, but I gave up with that as I heard a choked sob break out of her throat. Her hands clenched as she stared down at the fudge.

She was breaking apart by herself, it seemed, I noted wearily.

"Yeah. Well, I don't believe that." I declared, standing away from the table imperiously. "D-Father acted like that. It's his fault. Nobody else's."

Maddie glared at me. Truly glared.

"And I for one am not going to stand here and-"

The fudge and plate shattered next to my head, against the wall. Eyes wide, I watched Maddie turned away me, her hand shaking, before whirling around. Fire burned in her eyes, passionate rage, borderline insanity. I was so shocked, I just stood there for a second.

Phantom's snickers died in my mind. The pieces of plate hit the back of my leg. I watched in silent disbelief.

Time slowed for us.

"Don't say that. We don't know the facts!" Maddie exclaimed, eyes crazy and filled with irrationality that had nothing to do with being overshadowed.

I watched her closely, backing up towards the kitchen door. I had never actually seen her go 'crazy'. I had never actually thought she could. To me, she had never cared. She had never physically threatened me, though. There was a line that was drawn. Something we didn't cross and co-existed in somewhat-harmony.

Maddie had just crossed it.

_:Get out of the house.:_ Phantom snarled, coiling in our Core and wanting to jump Maddie's bones into oblivion. I was given glimpses into the absolute destruction Phantom was planning if she **dared** put a finger on us.

Maddie was oblivious, standing as she was over by the sink, so I took it as my sign to leave. She stood near the sink shaking and chanting to herself that Jack was 'innocent' and 'not his fault'. I turned and fled, running up to my room and getting my run-away pack together.

Maddie's voice of denial for her husband echoing behind me. It was almost ghost like in its insistency.

_:We're running away a day early.: _Phantom snarled, trying to take control, which made my movements jerky and uncoordinated.

_:I'm sure Sam won't mind if we crash at her place.:_ I whispered. Phantom agreeing and adding his strength to mine so we could move faster. This time we were insync.

We had already packed our bag. The backpack we had picked was durable and new, bought almost a month ago and never used. Sam had helped pay for it after I had told her it was all because my parents were idiots, and I needed a backup plan if I was going to run away for a while. And it was the truth.

The backpack itself was stacked as such food, clothes, food, clothes, aluminum bottle for water, clothes, and a bag of random nick-knacks that could be useful (aka a lighter, about a yard of rope, and a bunch of other crap). The pockets were filled with socks. I literally had my whole room in my backpack, it seemed.

I could hear Maddie stomping up the stairs, her voice spitting out apologies.

"Danni! Oh Danni, I didn't mean - I didn't mean it -"

Her mind finally caught up with her, and her guilt along with it. It seemed. Like always.

:_She means none of it._: Phantom snarled, barely containing herself.

Jazz's voice, outside the door, asked what had happened, and Maddie brushes her off. I wasn't staying around to listen though. My backpack was grabbed, along with my jacket and extra shoes (which I tied around my left, backpack strap). I shoved my arms through my jacket, tossed the backpack over my left shoulder, and grabbed for the window.

I yanked the window open (because it would look suspicious if I didn't), and whispered, "Going ghost."

I refused to allow Maddie to catch onto the fact that I was **more **than natural. And even as I felt myself lose control, I kept Phantom's senses trained on the door, which was currently being knocked on. Pounded upon.

"Danni!" Maddie was shouting, and I swear I could hear sobs tracing her voice. "Please, Danni. Let's talk about this. I-I- I didn't mean it —"

We ignored her words. They were lies, anyway.

Phantom jumped out the window, flying towards the nearest clump of trees while simultaneously turning invisible. Intangibility came next as we passed through house after house, reaching for Sam's place. The sound of my mother faded the farther we got away. Soon it was nothing. Just us and the wind and rain.

Like it usually was.

* * *

><p>Somewhere between the time we had gotten home and the plate crashing against the wall, it had started raining. It was fat wet droplets currently peppering the sidewalk underneath us that swallowed up the sound of me breathing deeply through Phantom's mouth. The rain fell right through us, but it made for an interesting effect.<p>

There was no cleansing, with this rain. No special feelings. No epiphanies. No realizations. Nothing.

It just was. Just as I was. Rain going through the body and makeing us want to shiver with the wet, slimy feeling. But it was nothing more than rain.

That was a sad thought.

'Nothing more than rain.'

As if the magic had finally been cast out of the world, and I was finally just seeing it. Even though I had known it existed.

_:That was unexpected.: _Phantom said in our mind, trying to calm down my racing heart and more than cynical thoughts_. :I would never have guess that Maddie would deal with stress like that. Like... It's one thing that she's a total bitch and a bad mothing but... I never thought she had it in her..:_

_:Yeah.:_ I conceded. _:Never would have thought…:_

And it was true.

It was as much of a shock as the first time hearing Phantom talking inside my head. As the first time I realized that my parents were insane. The first time I realized that I was all I had to rely on, until Phantom came along. It was a shock.

I was… **reeling**, from the implications Maddie's offensive act had truly had on me. It hadn't truly sunk in as an attack against myself and Phantom, but that was what it was, wasn't it?

An attack.

She'd never physically attacked me before, and that scared me.

Maddie was the smart one. The one I had to watch out for. She had the best chance of figuring out that I was a Halfa — even if she didn't know what that was. Maddie was the one who was dangerous, and I had forgotten that in lieu of Jack getting his just deserts. I had forgotten in my happiness.

It just cemented the fact that Maddie didn't care. Or couldn't control herself enough to begin to care.

I was on autopilot as I thought. Continously beating it into my mind: Maddie did not care.

Phantom led us dutifully to Sam's porch. It was big enough, had a huge awning, so we could land, transform, and then knock on the door bell. All without getting wet.

Wait.

_Oh. That wouldn't be good. _

It was currently raining cats and dogs. Those same cats and dogs that were not on my dry body. I looked around as Phantom landed and transformed, allowing me control of the body. The cold immediately assaulted my senses. Made goose-pimples sprout all over my body.

Yet, I knew we needed to get wet. It would look suspicious if we came in all dry. Well, with the exception of my damp hair.

_:Ewww,:_ Phantom complained, half-heartedly. He hated any kind of water.

I snorted and step into the downpour for a few seconds, the water sloshing around me and into my clothes. My hair was still damp, for the most part, so it wasn't that hard to get it sopping wet. I took off a hair band from my wrist and wrapped it in my hair, creating one of the messiest buns known to man. It almost made me look like a half dead wench.

Thoroughly drowned-kitten looking, I finally knocked on Sam's door. Hit the doorbell. A deep majestic piano note flowed throughout the whole house, loud enough that I could hear it from outside.

I shivered as I waited, the cold seeping into my bones. It had been a long, long time since I had had to get wet from rain. Phantom saw to that. The house was huge, so it was always understandable that nobody would come for a few minutes.

Normally, I would have gone immediately to Sam's second story bedroom through the window, but today- I wanted her mom and dad to see me. Or at least the butler. Looking frightened and out of it. I also planned to leave a note with them when I left, to tell my mother how I was not going to come back. How I had had enough of her and Jack and life with them.

Jazz... Jazz would be a tougher cookie to crack. To try and explain myself to.

The door opened to a shocked butler. Andrew, I was sure was his legal name, but it had been changed in the Manson's service to Alfred. I smiled up to him, through my dripping bangs. His shocked blue eyes were wide, and his curly brown hair stiff with gel.

"Ms. Daniella! What on earth are you doing here?"

I just smiled pitifully at him. "Uhm... to see Sam?"

His eyes grew more thoughtful, but he didn't hesitate in ushering me inside as he stepped aside.

"Come in! Come in! You'll catch your death out here." He gasped, hustling me inside.

_:Now that would be impressive,: _Phantom thought as I stomped inside, shivering and teeth chattering.:

Alfred was only about a few inches taller than me. I smirked shyly, allowing him to usher me through, feeling a little bubble of 'happy' form. Alfred was only thirty, but he was one of the most beautiful people I had ever met. In both heart and body and even soul. Even if Sam's parents had never much liked me, Alfred was always willing to smuggle me into the house. Or smuggle us snacks. Or really, just smuggle. His actions right now proved it.

"Let me call up to Mistress Samantha's room," Alfred started, reaching over to slip my jacket and backpack off my shoulder and back. Which I allowed.

"And she shall be down shortly. The Master and Mistress are not home at the moment. But they shall not mind. I'll also get someone to bring you some towels. You look half dead, if you don't mind me saying."

"I never mind," I huffed, rubbing my arms.

He ruffled my hair, and patted my head. Somehow, it wasn't condescendingly done. He didn't have the look or feel of a person of arrogance, and I liked him all the more for it.

"Come here, you can wait in the Foyer." As we walked, I saw him click the thermostat to a higher temperature.

_What a sweetheart. _It warmed my cooling heart. After Maddie, that little show of nicety was like chiken noodle soup to the soul.

I look at Alfred, giving him a genuine smile. He gave as good as he got, and then walked off with a bright smile on his face after showing me to the foyer.

He left me in a room that was decorated in a light pink, with white being the accent, and sickly poufy furniture. I sat myself in an overly large arm-chair, sinking into the warmth of the silky, textured fittings. One of the maids came in moments later and dropped off a fluffy towel, embroidered with a giant M. I thanked her profusely, watching in amusement as she blushed and said it was nothing. What was with the Manson's? Did they not thank people enough?

_:I love Sam's house. Can we just hide in the basement?:_ Phantom asked, using my eyes to look around the room we had only been in maybe six times before.

I shimmied out of my jeans but kept my shirt on. Then I piled the towels on and warmed up. The feeling was heavenly and I had almost forgotten what it felt like to warm up after an episode of really bad rain.

We waited for Sam to come in relative silence, not wanting to acknowledge the pink elephants trampling the metaphoric furniture.

_:The house may be a toothpick short of amazing,: _I retorted to Phantom, still not up to fluff._ :But think about the people who inhabit it with Sam? Worse than the monster living under our bed.: _

_:Danni_.: Phantom replied to that in exasperation._ : I told you that was not the real boogieman.:_

I ignored him, because I **knew **what I had seen.

And wrapped in a giant towel, sipping a cup of hot chocolate (brought by the same maid), hair drying a tiny bit, was how Sam found me.

"Danni!" She shouted in alarm, as if she hadn't been informed of the state I had arrived. She then demanded, "What happened? What are you doing here? I thought you were still on that stupid family trip -"

"Hey, Sam." I said, smiling as brightly as I could (with all the intensity of a wet light-bulb) as she plopped herself into the chair, right of mine. I ignored the question.

"Your butler deserves a raise. He's so _sweet_. Honest, say the word and I'll marry him —"

"Danni…" Sam's voice was warning, as she crossed her arms and leaned closer to me.

What little smile I had managed to gather was gone. The elephant called into question.

"It's a lot, Sam. Lots of reasons why I am here now. There's a lot that's happening… or happened. Going to happen." I said quietly, rubbing my hand across my face.

_:Understatement of the fucking century.:_ Phantom snarled. I got, for the first time since the car ride, that he was more than a little miffed by the current standing of the world and our place in it. Phantom did try to subtly give me strength though. Resting in our Core and added warmth to my cooling body, which was strangely upside-down because usually I lost warmth when he was near. Our whole 'ghostly properties' thing.

"You were only gone two weeks," Sam said to herself more than me. "What happened in those two weeks?"

What didn't?

"Can you get Tucker over here?" I found myself pleading. "I'd rather only explain once."

They both deserved to know. I had just thought I would have had a few days to forewarn them.

I added mentally that I was only going to explain it once, regardless. Phantom snorted, but settled down and sent me reassuring feelings across our mind bond. It was nice, and I felt safe.

Well, as safe as one can be after having their mother throw a plate at their head still in human form, and after being informed that slavery was the only way to live a relatively, normal life. I was doing fine, with those things looming over us.

"Sure." Sam said, somewhat hesitantly as she took out her cell phone and dialed Tucker up. Her eyes never left mine.

With my amazing hearing, which was all because of Phantom using his ability to morph our bodies, I listened.

"Hello?" Tuckers voice was slightly groggy as he answered. Sam's gaze traveled to the wall.

"Hey Tuck, you gotta come over here. Like now." Sam spared me a glance. "Danni is here… I'm not even going to lie. She looks like crap. Mega crap. Worse than getting beat by a nameless spectral crap."

"Danni? I thought she was at her parent's friend's house… Plasters or whatever his name was?" Tucker said, a jingling in the background of him probably pulling on pants. "What's wrong? Is this about the article in the paper?"

"I don't… I don't know Tuck. She won't say until you're here." Sam said honestly, looking me over as I gave an involuntary shiver. I took a sip of the luke-warm chocolaty drink and stared into it trying to think of how to explain my situation. Phantom threw in his two cents every now and then.

"So, just get over here."

"Okay. Okay. I'm coming." Tucker shouted into the phone, quickly telling his parents there was an emergency with me, and I heard a door slam shut and the sound of rain. A curse because of the wetness. "Hold her down if she thinks she can just run off… And tell her if she goes Phantom, I'm going to kick her ass."

I smirked into my drink, showing Sam that I had heard.

_:Not on my watch Foley.:_ Phantom snarled, overprotectiveness turned on high after the crap we had gone through in the past few days. He knew that it was just a phrase, but it still bent him the wrong way. Especially after Maddie going… ghost hunter on me.

So, I rolled my eyes and sipped.

"She got the message." Sam responded, relaying the information obediently. "Hurry up though, I want to know!"

Then, she hung up and sat back into her chair. She looked me over skeptically. Noticing something in my posture. In the way I held myself, perhaps.

"You know," She began, "When Alfred came up to my room and told me you looked like someone wanted to drown you, I laughed."

I smiled shallowly, lips twitching.

"But it isn't a lie." Sam said, concern lacing her voice.

"Ahh," I said. "It's just a little rain…"

She cut off my excuse at the hilt.

"About that, I know you could have just come up to my room…" Sam responded, dubiously. "Why'd you get wet and ring the doorbell, anyway? Alfred through you had gotten shot at first."

"I… I — uhm, well. I needed people to know I was here." I responded, vaguely. Rubbing my arm self-consciously.

"You need people to know you are here?" Sam said, her eyebrows raising before falling. "Why?"

Damn, Sam and her perceptiveness.

"I'm going to be leaving a note here… when I leave."

Sam sat there for a moment, not quite catching my meaning. I looked into her violet eyes and willed her to understand. Then, her eyes grew wide and she gaped at me, and I knew that she figured it out. I braced myself.

"You-you-you…" She stuttered, completely flabbergasted. "Danni! You can't! You've never run before! You can't give up now. Things are... thing's are getting better!"

She stopped herself. Looking me over. Seeing hunched shoulders, dripping hair, and eyes that probably conveyed some of the change. I guess maybe defeat…

"What changed?"

I flinched, and stayed silent, promising myself that I would explain as much as I could afford to.

"Danni.." Sam repeated, getting up and sitting with me on the rather large chair. I moved over and shirked the towel onto another couch. I was semi dry, so it wouldn't matter much. I grabbed my pants and put them on. They were not that dry, but it was better than nothing.

And I refused to talk to Sam until Tucker got there. It was nice to have some company on the huge piece of furniture, though. I refused a hug, and I was positive Sam would never have tried to give me one, but it was still nice to know someone was there.

The silence was just starting to get strained.

"I'm here!" Tucker shouted, as he slammed through the front door and came wheeling into the foyer, how he knew where we were- no clue. He immediately ground to a halt as he spotted me, all bedraggled and wet. He was soaking more than I was. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Come'er." I said, gesturing for him to come closer. Tucker did so, willingly, not catching onto what I was going to do for him.

As soon as he was close enough, I reached for the ability to turn intangible, and turned him as such. Where he had once stood was now nothing but water droplets, falling to the ground. As soon as the pitter patter was finished, I turned him back. He smirked thankfully at me, his chocolate brown skin crinkling as he smiled.

"I still don't see how you can't do that for yourself…" Sam grumbled, getting up and stretching from her curled up position. Tucker and I just smiled at her.

"So what was the emergency?" Tucker asked, sitting down on his recently dried toosh. "Besides the fact that Danni looks like she is super-mega depressed?"

I rolled my eyes, feeling Phantom wake up from his backseat ways. Sam shot me a look, which clearly stated, "Answers now."

_:Super-mega depressed.:_ Phantom mocked. I snorted.

"I'm running away." I confessed, saying the words out loud for the first time since Vlad.

It was silent for two point four milliseconds, and then both Sam and Tucker burst out with the oh so predictable-

"What?"

"Why?"

I let them stew for a moment, their whispered shouts reaching my ears easier than ever before.

"What are you thinking?-"

"-Do you even know the first thing about-"

"-What about Jazz? What about Cujo?-"

"There's more guys." I stated calmly, allowing Phantom to give me some of his cockiness and smooth out some of the transition between my words. Phantom was an ever present presence, floating right there with me the whole time. Giving me his strength, knowing that this was hard for me. And being a century old ghost, he could sympathize.

After they shut up, and waited as patiently as one could with a bouncing knee, I started. I explained, in as vague details as I could, the reason I was running. The whole being owned thing, along with Vlad, and even (even) Jack and his insanity. I didn't tell them that Vlad had made Jack go bat-shit crazy, and I would never tell anyone. It was just better that nobody else knew. For me more than Vlad. At this point in time… nobody really suspected I could be bad or evil.

I did not explain Phantom. I didn't want to. At the moment, he was mine. All mine. With a small (very small) part time ownership with Vlad. Phantom snorted at that thought, but didn't say anything against it. Even he knew that the inevitable was here.

_:Not likely.:_ Phantom snarled.

_:But true.:_ I stated calmly. And Phantom stopped talking, sulking a bit. Even though I was right, it felt awful saying it.

"So let me get this straight," Tucker began. "You, being a halfa, have to have a master just like every other ghost in the ghost zone, because…. this ghost king decreed it? Am I right so far?"

I nodded.

"And all halfa's," Tucker continued. "Are given till their fourth month of life to get their bearings, before they are forced to run away for as long as they can… like a kind of sick game of cat-and-mouse?"

I nodded.

"And, furthermore," Tucker said, looking as if he was going to be sick. "The winner gets to keep you. Forever."

This time I hesitated before nodding. I still was unsure about how the whole claiming process worked. How if I was given to one person, could I forever be loyal to them? Was that how it even worked?

"That's disgusting!" Sam snarled, her hands clenched tightly in fists, bunching up her black skirt. Her stance eerily similar to how she had stood when protesting the Kitten farms last year, ready to fight on someone else's behalf.

"Yeah. I know. It sucks. But... but it's the truth." I replied, picking at a worn spot on my jeans. "It doesn't change the fact that I have to run. I can't… I can't stand the thought of being owned…"

And it was silent. After almost half an hour of explaining to them, and carefully covering some truths, I was exhausted. I really needed sleep before tomorrow… When I would begin the chase.

"And you need a place to crash… right?" Sam confirmed. "Because of your — you know, with the plate?"

I nodded tensely at Sam's wording. Maddie was a sore spot right now, and I refused to call her my mother. She didn't even deserve the title, as far as I was concerned. Birth giver was better and even that I was beginning to regret from here.

"You're staying here." Sam commanded firmly, grabbing my hand and dragging me upstairs. Tucker followed behind at a slower pace.

We passed Alfred, who was commanded by Sam to, "get all of Danni's stuff and bring it up to my room after it has dried." Alfred smiled warmly and promised it would be up within the hour. Which was about eleven. I think.

"Thanks Sam." I said, sincerely. My nerves were still all jangled from everything that had happened over the weekend.

_:You handled it well…:_ Phantom praised me, soothing me. _: You know. Better than I would have handled anything like that.:_

_:Thanks.:_ I awarded him for his effort, allow some of my emotions run over him. The happier ones. The one's that mattered to him and I. Trust. _:You're the best, Danny.:_

"Come on Danni," Sam said, opening her door and dragging me the rest of the way to the bed and flopping me down. "You're going to tell us exactly what your plans are."

I froze, before settling into the bed. The movements were basic mechanics.

_:What should I tell them? Some of the truth… or lie?: _I asked Phantom.

_:Half-truth as much as you can.:_ Phantom answered immediately. _:Don't give them anything concrete.:_

I nodded mentally, sending my love to Phantom. Thankfully, I wouldn't be doing this alone.

"I'm running until I hit a city." I started, allowing Tucker to sit next to me and Sam to flank me. "Then after the first attack, which I know will happen soon, I'm running to another city. Until I get to a bigger city and am able to stay hidden for the most part. Then…well… rinse and repeat."

For the most part, that was true. It was a basic plan that I knew would be changed depending on how many ghosts attacked me. I was also planning to try and perfect the 'duplication' process. So that Phantom and I could exist at the same time… for a little bit. Give us a little bit of an edge.

"That sounds so… lonely. Man, that sucks." Tucker, forever a man. I snorted.

"Yeah. I know." I acknowledged. "What choice do I have though?"

Sam and Tucker had nothing to say to that.

There was a knock on the door. Driving Sam to answer.

"Come in, Alfred." Sam shouted. Which he proceeded to do. Armed with my backpack, still a little damp, but for the most part dry, and my jacket. It couldn't not have been an hour…

"Alfred, you're the best." I smiled at him. Reaching out to take my objects.

"If I may ask… Ms. Daniella-" Alfred began, but I cut him off. I could tell, just watching him and his sad eyes, what he had been going to say.

"Yeah, Alfred, I'm running away."

His smile tightened, and he sighed.

"I thought so."

But he didn't press or nag, he just gave me a really weak, but incredibly strengthening smile.

"I won't tell anyone until afterwards." Alfred promised, already heading for the door to leave.

For the first time that night I felt like crying. The one person I had not planned for, made it seem all worth-while. _Damn you Alfred, giving me hope like that._ When I knew that I could only hope so long as it was realistically possible. Damn you Alfred, making me see that not everyone is a heartless and cold person to strangers.

_:He's an okay human.:_ Phantom finally said, making my heart break a little more. I nodded mentally to Phantom.

"Can I get some sleep?" I asked Sam, voice weakening over all the emotions I was currently feeling. None of them strong or even strengthening me. Phantom blanketed me with a lot of acceptance though.

Sam nodded, and Tucker, looking at the clock, exclaimed- "Crap! It's almost eleven! My parents are going to kill me…"

It caused Sam and I to chuckle, and Tucker sent us a withering glare.

Which caused Samand I to share a secret smile before Sam grabbed Tuckers hand, pulled him in for a kiss, and started walking him off.

"Get comfy, I'm taking this hunk down to the front door." And she sent a wink before she proceeded to do just that. "And don't move!"

"I shall!" I called after them, feeling a pang of longing as they disappeared out of sight. "And I won't!"

_:This will never get easier.: _I thought to myself, broadcasting to Phantom.

_:It was never supposed to be easy.: _He snorted. _:The king never promised easy, just order and some demented form of justice - for those that pay the price.:_

I nodded to myself, while slipping out of my jeans and t-shirt. Clad in only my underthings, I slipped under the black bed covers, and scooted to the side of the bed Sam did not sleep on. The bed was comfortable, and form-fitting. Some special foam that only the rich could handle the cost of. It kind of made it ironic.

My final day before homelessness, and I was living the lime-life.

I snorted into the pillow, burying my face into the soft smell of lavender and Sam.

_:Have a nice night, Danny.: _I mumbled.

_:You too, Danni. You too.:_

And I was gone.

* * *

><p>Welp.<p>

I don't know if I made this clear, by writing or by whatever you guys think, but Maddie really isn't all that evil. She's just... neglectful. But to a child... isn't that the same thing? She also tortures ghosts whom Danni considers almost like kin. Human and ghost both, but she'd leaning more towards the ghosts on her own twisted principles alone. Which aren't that twisted, just... perhaps misguided?


	8. Of running and Sprinting

Man this is such a long chapter. I should have cut it in half, but -shrugs- nothing for it now.

"WORD" Regular dialogue

:_WORD_: Inner dialogue between Danni and Phantom

* * *

><p><strong>Of running and Sprinting<strong>

* * *

><p><em>I felt my heart constrict as I tried to imagine what I had done to Jazz.<em>

_**-~DP~-**_

We ran first thing in the morning.

Not sure when the ghosts would start converging on us, we left at the crack of dawn. A crumpled, quick-wrote note dropped carefully on Sam's bedside table as she slept, clothes pulled on after a short shower, and flying off into the sunrise was how we did it.

And even if I felt it wasn't quite right — how we did it — we did it.

Except, it didn't go _as smoothly_ as I would have hoped. My backpack on my back was heavy, and Phantom was grumbling about the added weight. I snapped back at him, more than well aware that our sleep last night had been strained (if we had gotten any at all). Phantom was flying steadily, not really needing a huge energy supply to do his thing. Which we were both thankful for _that_ design flaw in our body.

The more energy we could save, the better.

I felt like it would be our new motto in days to come.

As we flew over Amity, towards an unnamed city on the horizon, it finally started sinking in.

_:We're gonna be running for the rest of our lives, Phantom.: _Tense slightly, then relax. Phantom listened with half an ear._:Or until we get caught.:_

We both knew that the latter was more than likely going to happen.

_:Yeah. Better not get caught, hey?:_ Cockily he sent my way, quite proudly. _:Good thing you've got me, huh? Best Runaway on both sides of the fence!:_

I chuckled with Phantom's bravo as we flew, trying to keep my mind as organized as I could. Trying to think about how much food we had, how long that would last until we had to steal. I felt my stomach drop. Becoming a common criminal to stay alive…

_:So what should be the first thing we do…:_ I started, before cutting off and thinking. _:I mean… when we reach the city?:_

Phantom thought about it for a moment, all these ideas tumbling around in this area of brain space.

_:I'd say shelter.:_ Phantom decided as he went intangible through a tree. _:Then hunker down before the first attack comes our way. After…. We run.:_

I mentally nodded, knowing that that was going to be our best game plan.

It was just tiring and sad, to me anyway. Forever running. I was a stable person. I worked best knowing what was going to happen. Not all these ifs, ands, or buts.

I watched the sun slowly creep up on the world, shining its lovely light everywhere. It warmed Phantom up and I was immensely grateful for it. It was much better than the chill that came with a ghost being nearby.

And as we warmed in the sun, flying low enough that we were considerably well hidden, we escaped an hour before Sam woke and read the note.

And feeling it was her duty, handed it over to a sobbing Maddie, almost two hours later.

* * *

><p><em>Dear whoever cares,<em>

_First off._

_Sam and Tucker don't know anything. I just asked to stay the night, so don't bag on them._

_Not their fault I am currently half-way to Mexico._

_Yes. I am indeed running away._

_I'm running away because I have to. Jack went crazy. Mom went psycho. Jazz is the only normal one in the family._

_This isn't a surprise. Jazz could tell you this as well._

_It hasn't been a surprise for years. And I don't want to be around my parents. Not anymore. Maybe not ever. I'm __**not **__living in a house where I feel threatened. You come after me and it won't be pretty. If I have to, I can promise you that I will run away again. And again, if I have to._

_Jazz. I love you. I know you want me to stay and hold down the fort with you. I want to. But I can't._

_Sorry Jazz. _

_I can't. _

_I love you, the mostest out of the whole family. You're the best sister a girl could ask for. I promise you that. You're the only one who will go somewhere out of our wacked out family. So do it. For me. For that weird guy you dated in the seventh grade. For someone outside our family. For the sake of doing it. Become a Psychiatric and then help me out in a few years? But don't think about me._

_Don't think about me and my problems. I know you will. So I can't stop you… but try? Just become as great as you can… Maybe in a few years I'll come back for a visit…. Till then._

_Don't come after me. _

_I don't want to be found._

_-D_

* * *

><p>The first few cities were the same. We would arrive, have an hour or two of peace and quiet, and then the 'blue rain' would come. This 'blue rain' consisted of all the lower level ghosts in the area, seeking us out and testing us, whether they be spectral or only there in spirit. We snarled at them and raised our hackles, and for the most part they kept away from us (top dog established), but the damage was already done.<p>

Our scent caught and thrown into every possibly path of the wind.

Bigger and bigger hunters came after us, following the swarm of ant-power-sized ghosts. Most easily displaced with an ecto-blast in the chest, them running, tail between their legs. And then the head honcho of the city would come and call us out, which gave us a good work out and drained our energy.

So in every city, we had about two hours of peace and quiet, then another two hours of relative calm except with stupid ghosts hanging around, and then we beat the big guy and were left alone for about four hours.

With which the thunder came. The ghost that would give us more than a run for our money.

Vortex was the first one of the top ten we met. The List that Vlad had alluded to making more and more sense as the weeks went by.

Vortex was tough, and that put him on the list.

Or at least I imagined him to be on the list. He was… one of the hardest ghosts we had ever fought. He was sane, and that made him already incredibly more powerful than most ghosts. His insanity a breed of almost obsession for the weather, which gave him rights to throw around the wind like his play toy. His harsh angles made him almost impossible to land a hit on, and so, five minutes into the fight- we heeded Vlad's advice and ran for the hills (though neither of us thought this guy was Vlad's Master).

And that was where we were. Running from city to city, occasionally bypassing a city in favor of safety, sometimes doubling back, other times taking harsh right turns and going for miles without seeing civilization. Even if it had only been a week of running, it had now gotten to the point where we hadn't stopped any longer than an hour in one place. I would say it was wearing us down, but that would be a lie. Somehow, we had kept our energy level consistent, as long as we spent most of our time in Phantom form/

The pattern continued, changing up every now and then, but mostly giving us lee-way to run.

Phantom lived for conditions like these. Running like prey and only battling when absolutely necessary flicked a switch inside him. This switch turned him into a machine that used the little we had to made it go as far as we could. And it was working for us. Mostly on account that we could run faster, fly better, and maneuver ourselves much better than any other ghost chasing us. They had the manpower, and we had the speed. And when we did get an hour of sleep every five or six hours, it was all we needed.

So that came out to, what? Like three hours of sleep for every day?

I had a theory.

The theory was pretty much that we were gathering our energy from all those naps I had taken from before. Like we had stored all the energy that we had snatched, and it was now the sole power we were guided by. Phantom didn't refute it. He actually thought it was probably correct. The only other option was that we were turning into solar-powered beings. I laughed at that, but thought it was probably true, to some extent.

Or at least, a little more true than usual.

We were freaks of nature, not that big of surprise if we survived off sunlight, huh?

* * *

><p>We tried and failed.<p>

Failed and tried.

Completed a _half-amazing-almost-transformation_ and then it fell to goop. Almost made ourselves two, but failed quite spectacularly.

We tried.

We failed.

Nothing was working.

All we received was tiredness for our efforts. Something we really couldn't afford. Exhaution was the enemy almost as much as those willing to mark us.

How the hell did Vlad do it? Split himself in two like a freakin' Houdini!

Was it something that I and Phantom would never understand? Was it something we could maybe complete if given enough time without ghosts chasing after us? Could we not because of our mindset? Could we not because there were two of us?

I didn't know.

Neither did Phantom.

* * *

><p><em>"~Come out. Come out.<em> Wherever you are!~" The sing-songy voice of the ghost was grating on Phantom's ears, wanting him to lash out. He stayed silent and still against the building, though, floating almost twenty feet in the air. As he kept his attention on the ghost, I kept my attention on everything else. Probably one of the only perks of having two people in one body.

All sensory details were now joint property. Thus, we could dole out the jobs left and right to each other. I had ears and touch and signature fixation, while he had eyes and powers, and body, and taste- kind of useless ones. It didn't mean the two of us didn't have access to the other parts of the body, either. It was just... we both specialized.

"Come on out, little one," The voices patronizingly falsetto voice made me want to punch her in the face. Because this ghost was in fact a woman. The first I'd seen since Ember. "I promise- you're Marking shall be _quick _and _painless! _And I will be **such** a good Master, little one._"_

I was almost sorry that we had lost Vortex a week ago, in some nameless city in Tennessee, because at least he was honest about his intentions. Capture us. Enslave us. Take away our freedom. Probably be a bastard about it.

This ghost though. This… Desiree, I think she said her name was, is nothing more than a smooth speaking rattle-snake. And that was one of the reasons that made me think she was on the List, as we had begun to call it. That and the fact that she could call into existence practically anything she wanted… that threw a wrench in the whole 'she can't be dangerous' thinking. Especially when she had almost used her powers to trap us in a box.

_A box!_

If Sam and Tucker could only see me now.

So far, there had only been four ghosts that had come close enough to even beginning to capture us. Vortex (lost him a long time ago, then found him, then lost him: so far he was our toughest enemy), Skulker (which was not a surprise, but since we were familiar with each other, he gave us a head start. We hadn't seen him since), Technus (who was surprisingly hard to get rid of), and now this Desiree person. Each had their little quirks whether it be controlling the weather, being the best hunter of all time, or even just the ability to outsmart most people. And they were all dangerous and endangering to our freedom.

"Little Halfa, your future Master is getting impatient." Desiree snapped us out of my thoughts, making us hyper aware of how close she was. Only a few buildings under us. "You wouldn't want my first act as your Master to be punishing you, would it?"

Phantom held in a snarl, holding his position steady and skillfully cloaking our signature by not moving a muscle. As long as we didn't move, and Desiree didn't touch us, we would be fine. This was a relatively new ability. We liked to called it, they-can't-see-me-they-can't-get-me, or otherwise known as trans-visobility.

A sort of cloaking device for our 'smell'. Our essence.

_Man how useful would that have been at the beginning? When we got swamped?_

As soon as we had realized we could do this, we had started using it. Liberally and often. This ability we had started honing as much as we could, and it had been the difference between a burnt hole in the wall and a Mark on our arm.

Finally, below us Desiree came out of a building, floating halfway out. Her eyes were cruel and sharp as she turned her head each way, like a dog looking for its prey. The get-up she was wearing was something a gypsy would be clothed in, which made it obvious just what her powers were. Wish granter. To herself mostly. Why hadn't anyone wished she couldn't make wishes for herself?

No clue.

She moved slowly, and huffed as she stepped out of the building. Right below us.

"Where is that brat?" She snarl, head still turning left and right before looking up and searching the sky. We were invisible without the ability to go intangible as well, because we found that if we did, the whole 'signature gone' thing was a bust. It was a very tense moment as desires eyes trailed over the spot where we were, and Phantom used his trained muscles to not move, just as well as using them for running. It was hard, but eventually, Desiree turned away, calling out sickeningly sweet words of half-assed bribery. To the west.

I thanked God that she was going west, because that mean that our backpack to the east would be easier to get. Desiree didn't stop, even as she got farther and farther away, knowing we were close.

As if we would give up.

As if wanting her as a Master was enough. I snorted inside our minds.

_:This is the best ability.:_ I breathed in our head.

I sung. _:Best, best, best, best, best!:_

Phantom held off the bodily chuckles, but gave me a mental smirk. He agreed of course. We were agreeing on most things these days. A mind split gets nothing done.

We waited against the wall of the building for a few more minutes, just long enough for Desiree's signature to disappear. Then, Phantom moved a finger tentatively, and we stilled again. But Desiree's signature did not flare to life near us. It didn't even flare to life and change directions. She continued west, blissfully unaware her prey was now behind her.

We pondered the best course of action.

_:In three,:_ Phantom whispered in our joined connection. _:I'm going to go back and pick up the Backpack, then we gotta bolt. I don't trust Desiree… she's smarter than most of the others.:_

I nodded in acceptance, keeping all of my energy on trying to track Desiree. It was for naught, because after Danny had finished his count of three and bolted as fast as he could, Desiree's signature stayed away from us. We flew as fast as we could for five minutes before she started to chase, much slower.

We found the bridge we had stashed the backpack under and then flew for the next city. As fast as ghostly possible.

Another day, another ghost, another hairs-breadth escape.

_:So this was the life you had planned for me, eh, Phantom?:_

Phantom chuckled tiredly.

:_Not quite, love. Promise.:_

Life was touch and go, but we had not been captured yet. It was exhausting, but we always managed to escape. Whether it be by our own merit, or some stupid mistake. Merit winning by a landslide, but we both knew that would be changing soon enough.

With exhaustion brought clumsiness. With clumsiness brought defeat. And defeat brought us a mark to our bodies.

We'd seen a lot of ghosts, also, and each one we had managed to slip by. By a hairs breath, by a landslide, by even a little tiny bit.

We lived to fight another day, existed to defy another could-be-would-be Master.

And it was a simple life.

It was a horrible life.

* * *

><p>Two months was a long time, and we had finally started skimming out of our stored energy. We still had enough for another month, but it was to the point where we needed a good plan to start gathering it again. It was also the time period we decided that we were going to start hanging out in bigger cities. Chicago sized. Which was amusing, because the first huge city we had found ourselves in was New York.<p>

The city of the freaks.

It practically welcomed us with its bright lights on at all times in the day.

Phantom and I had agreed that I would walk the city for an hour, or as long as I could. If not to stretch the kinks out of my body, than to allow Phantom a moments rest. We arrived in broad daylight, and I was able to walk and snatch some fruit, by turning it intangible and invisible and placing it in my bag. It had been a little under a month since I had gotten over my aversion to stealing. Surprisingly easily.

Tummy didn't like being rumbly, so I had to put something in it. My rationale was that I was only stealing the bare minimum.

If only my mother could see me now…

Knowing that I had food, I stopped by a huge fountain, and plopped myself down to eat a couple fruits on a bench. A pear. An apple. A kiwi. On radar duty, Phantom was relentless in his pursuit of powerful signatures. Ready to sound the warning bell.

There was nothing to worry about, especially since the 'blue rain' hadn't even come yet.

_:I don't sense any big ghosts….:_ Phantom whispered to me as I finally got some solid food in me. I had practically scarfed it down. Almost a day and a half of not eating would do that to you. I was super thankful that I did not look like a Hobo, because those poor people had to put up with a lot more than anyone else. We had discovered that my clothes stayed fresh if we didn't switch between forms often. So technically I was on day twenty for this shirt, and day forty for the jeans.

Basically, Phantom was our normal face, for the past two months. Yet, that was a very tiring life, especially as we lived as we did. So he was taking a break. He was currently pretty relaxed, loose in our Core.

_:Not even the small spectral energies are paying us much attention.:_

I chuckled, throwing the outside of the kiwi into a bush near the bench I had plopped on. And I watched the people walking around.

People watching was a new hobby.

Since I couldn't get ahold of any video games, books, or other forms of entertainment, people were my best bet. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and being annoying, and there was no big ghost dropping in on my head. I guess it was as good as it was going to get.

It was a little chilly here though, so I pulled my jacket tighter around me.

_:I'm gonna take a catnap…:_ I surprised Phantom, laying my head back and allowing my sense of signature to burst into the forefront of my mind. _:Good idea or bad?:_

Phantom took a moment to think.

_:Let's try and half-sleep.:_ he suggested, making me perk up a little. We hadn't tried half-sleep for almost a month, ever since _that one time_ we hadn't tried again. We didn't like to think about it. Then again, I didn't know who wanted to accept that Technus, a toaster, fourteen teenagers, and a blue light bulb had almost been our downfall? After such a spectacular failure… Well, there were only so many failures we can accept, and one that almost landed us in Technus's hands, was almost unacceptable.

_:We've got nothing to lose if we try it for five minutes.:_

I nodded to myself, tapping my wrist watch into awareness. It was a nifty little thing, I thought to myself as I set it for five. Apparently used for the hearing impaired, because it did not have a ring tone. Rather it vibrated annoyingly until you stopped it with a four button pressing pattern. It was perfect for sleeping silently and incognito in a crowd.

I slipped sunglasses from my bag that I had nicked somewhere in Ohio, placed them on my nose, and got into the position we like to call 'stalker quality time'. Because it did look like we were stalking, and that made everyone stay away. Sitting, arms crossed, glaring out at nothing, when in reality we were trying our very hardest to sleep and keep out brain active. At the same time.

Not an easy thing.

_:Relax body. Tighten mind.:_ Phantom cooed, and I allowed his little mantra to seep into my bones. Another little known fact: we couldn't sleep in Phantom form. Little known facts basically meant, secret. Only in Fenton form, were we were allowed to sleep and get our energy fix. A design flaw that was the worst one to have.

Another thing that was a perk from our rather unorthodox lifestyle: We were more used to sharing our body. Fenton and Phantom was usually how we addressed ourselves, not particularly caring either way. Phantom enjoyed my shorter name of Danni, but I liked calling him Phantom more than Danny. And it kept things interesting.

With Phantom talking, and I listening, we kept ourselves mostly awake. Though, I could feel my body dropping off into sleep. One of the most awkward feelings known to man, I promise you. Body sleeping while you do not. Kind of like you're in a coma and watching everything going on with your body through sound and touch.

Wind pushing against hair, the smell of humans, and the sounds of peace and calamity.

Phantom and I relived some of the better fights over the five minutes we were allowed to relax our body. Our signature was dimmed significantly, and I knew we were probably a curious sight to any ghosts walking by, but it was so nice to allow our body a moment of relaxation. Worth all the words in the world.

Then my arm was shaking, and my body was jolted, which in turn shook my mind back into the present. I slapped a hand over the watch, allowing the alarm to stop its jiggling of what little fat I had on my wrist.

_:It worked.:_ Phantom said, smugly. Which caused me to smile in the physical world.

I smiled brightly.

_:Yeah. It did… :_ I sat and watched a family of four having a picnic lunch next to the fountain_. _The littlest girl crying because her sister was holding her lunchbox out of reach. It reminded me of Jazz and myself.._ :Should we try for longer?:_

It took only a second for Phantom to respond.

_:Of course.: _It was said cockily, but I could hear the undertone of fear._ :We need all the energy we can… while the going is good.:_

And we did just that, figuring out the second most helpful ability ever. The ability to sleep and stay totally aware. Or... mostly aware. Which was a God send.

Something we prayed in almost constantly.

We called it the SuperNap.

No. We were not very creative.

* * *

><p>We decided to try split ourselves again. On month three and a half.<p>

We failed. Again and again and again.

Then were forced to run, cursing our luck that everyone seemed to know where we were.

Skulker was on our trail again, and teamed up with someone else that we had never even heard of before this whole mess.

So with an anti-ecto blast ramming into a building over our head, we flew to our next destination.

Our body feel sluggish, but pushed to the limit.

* * *

><p>Four months was easily the breaking point. The point where I was the one sick and tired of running. Just wanting to sleep somewhere… for more than thirty minutes to every four hours. Phantom loved running, and that was what held off the breakdown for a third of a year. His love transferred over to me. Smothered me sometimes, but made it all together bearable.<p>

But not even that optimistic love of escape could stop me from feeling that it was all hopeless. A number of almost-lost fights had done their damage to my psyche. Pulling me in two different directions.

Acceptance and hell-no-I-won't-go.

So we sat on the edge of a bridge in Manhattan, feet dangling and getting strange looks. I couldn't help but watch with no small amount of jealousy: people sitting on boats, relaxing on the bridge, simply just loving life. Something I was not doing, even though I was in the right place, too. The beautiful scenery we had encountered on our run was breathtaking, and yet we had not been able to enjoy it.

No, Phantom and I were not allowed time off. Not allowed simple pleasures. But if we had a Master, well than! Why not —

_:Don't do that Danni. Not now.:_ Phantom piped into my thoughts suddenly. Sending calming waves of reassurance over my body.

I huffed.

_:Come on. We've been running for long enough that this should be second nature. Fear of getting caught sure, I understand it. But we can't think about giving up. At least not to these bozos.: _Phantom said, passionately.

_:I know, Phantom.:_ I snapped. Then I felt bad after then and immediately slumped. It wasn't Phantom's fault. He didn't make the laws.

_:__**I know.**__ It's just… tiring.:_

And I did know. I couldn't keep thinking such destructive thoughts, not if I wanted to stay free. Not if I wanted Phantom to stay free. We were all that was standing in the way of freedom and Masters'. It was just so very hard, though.

I had been a very non-confronting person before Phantom had come along. Leave well enough alone, and hope it leaves you alone. Maybe not the healthiest path, but it had been what I had done best. Accept things for what they were and try to get along with the best of them. Then Phantom had come along and made me question every little thing, and get angry, and do something.

Gave me power over myself. Enough to make a difference.

And I loved that power, but I also knew that acceptance was also called into action sometimes.

Maybe our time for it would be coming sooner than we thought.

Most of the baby-powered ghosts had finally backed off, leaving us alone. Getting it, for the first time in almost three and a half months, that they had no chance to capture me. That only people on the List really had even a snow-ball's chance in hell to get us. And they were doing a bang-up job.

_:It's just… hard.:_ I muttered to Phantom,

:_It's one thing to run and run and __**run**__, but to never get a break?:_

It was silent in our little world.

"Uhm… excuse me?" I heard from behind, snapping me out of Phantom's response. I turned to see a kid around my age, a girl. One I had never seen before. Her hair was a caramel brown and her eyes a bright, bright green. Her dark brown skin contrasting darkly against the crowd of white people surrounding us both (I was semi-tan at this point). I smiled brightly at her, faking a good mood. She was most definitely a tourist, and I knew I looked more like a townie than anyone else around. She probably wanted directions.

"Yes, can I help you?" I asked, lifting an eyebrow. The girl looked flabbergasted for a moment.

"Uhm.." She said, hesitantly. There was a camera strapped around her neck. "Well, you wouldn't happen to be Daniella Fenton, would you? Cause I'm Valerie Grey."

Time stopped for a moment, and my smile tightened. Phantom squirmed in my chest. I didn't answer, but raised my eyebrow even higher at her. Sometimes playing innocent victim was best. She flushed in embarrassment.

"It's just… you look like a girl who ran away from my town." Valerie said, babbling as I just kind of stared at her incredulously. "It's a small town and I didn't really know her… but, well-"

"No." I said, narrowing my eyes and then turning back to look over the bridge.

I didn't realize that my hands were gripping the edge of the bridge tightly, nor did I see that Valerie had noticed. I was just hoping she would leave it at that and go away. That her teenage girl tendencies would go somewhere else for the day and stay out of my life.

No such luck.

"You are Fenton, aren't you?" Valeries voice returned, surprise lacing it. I glared over my shoulder at her, completely losing my polite smile. "I knew it!"

"Would you shush?" I questioned harshly as my eyes darted around. I could already feel some of the more ghostly energies becoming interested in me. Names had power. And Valerie had just spoken mine out loud. Twice.

I'd be lucky if I could get away without a head ghosts coming for me. Valerie looked flabbergasted once again, but this time in shock that I would talk to someone like that. It was obvious that she was a fifteen year old drama queen, who had not learned the harshness of life. If her slack-jawed expression was anything to go by.

_:This is not good.:_ Phantom whimpered, focusing most of his energy to the radar.. _:We've already got Skulker on our tail, we can't have the police as well.:_

I whirled around, so my back was facing the water and stared Valerie down. She was a few inches taller than me, but I still managed to look intimidating enough that she backed off as I got off the ledge.

"Don't tell anyone." I barked lowly at her, hitching my backpack higher on my back. I was ready to simply scare her and walk off, until Phantom stiffened inside me.

_:Damnit!:_ Phantom hissed. His voice dropping low in fear._ :We got a __**powerful **_new_ ghost coming in. We gotta get out of here."_

"I'm serious. Don't tell anyone. I'm not going back." I snapped at Valerie, before taking off at a run. A man that looked like he could be her father was watching me go with something akin to shock. Goodness, what a day to get recognized?

I was in a back alley in minutes, Phantom came out in seconds, and we were flying as fast as we could. It was my turn to keep track on signatures that were surrounding me. The largest one was currently following us, at about the same speed we were flying.

_:He's keeping up.:_ I told Phantom as calmly as I could. _:Not speeding up, but if we don't get ahead he will.:_

Phantom snarled to himself, going through a person who was standing in the alley and smoking. The man looked completely shocked and his cigarette fell from his mouth. We didn't care much after that, just putting on a burst of speed and seeing if it worked. It didn't. The presence was still just behind us. Keeping up.

Crap. Looks like we were going to be leaving at least four cities before this one stopped chasing us. All thoughts of giving up were gone as we ran as best we could.

* * *

><p>And I was right.<p>

We ended up running for two days straight, and only just lost the presence behind us. Only after we had looped-de-looped a dozen times, zigzagged into strange lands, and dropped to freeze for hours. It was nice, because we never came face to face with them, but we kept the signature in our mental database. The person was most certainly on the List. I could feel it in my bones.

_:I think they're getting more and more serious.:_ I told Phantom as we stopped on a random skyscraper, leaning heavily against the side as we looked out of the dark landscape. We had run for another day or so, making random turns and what not, and I hoped that was enough to keep us safe for another two or so days.

_:You're right, of course.:_ Phantom said, running a hand through his snow, white hair. His body shook with the stress of flying for days straight. _:I just don't know how they get our scent so fast!:_

I stayed quiet, simply giving him an ear to growl at.

_:What,:_ He snarled_. :Do they have our scent on file or something? They've got to have lives, right? Someday this has to give…:_

I nodded in agreement, thought it was only mentally. Phantom had a choke hold on the body at the moment, even though I was sitting cozy in our Core. I was still on signature duty, and I took it seriously. It was life or Prison for us if I failed.

And then I felt another ghostly presence.

I tensed, and hissed at Phantom, _:Another one!:_

Phantom coiled and bunched, ready to jump. I was scenting the signature, confused because it was so familiar. Almost… comforting.

Holy, crap. It was Vlad.

_:Danny!: _I shouted in his metaphoric ear. And he stopped in mid jump, listening and smelling, too. _:It's Vlad.:_

And then, the dilemma was created.

On one hand, he had promised us a year, but on the other hand — he was a huge threat. The thing keeping us grounded was seeing someone else we knew. Someone else we could talk to. Someone who had run just like us. Someone who could give advice.

_:Ghost promises are… stronger than human's.:_ Phantom said finally, knowingly turning the tides of the decision.

_:Stay ready to run.:_ I added. We'd already come to a verdict without words.

We did not have long to wait, but we stayed on the very edge of the building. Vlad came in on the ledge right across from us, landing with a soft patter. Phantom was tensed to fly, but we waited patiently (somewhat) for Vlad to speak first.

He just kind of glanced us over, checking us out.

"Four months, huh?" Were the first words out of his fanged mouth. It sounded like a chuckle that escaped afterwards. "I must admit, from what I've heard, you're like a ghost among ghosts."

He crossed his arms with a little shrug that seemed much younger on him than it should have.

"I'm impressed."

"Yeah. We're doing pretty good for ourselves." Phantom said hesitantly, still not backing down. Our placement was easy to manipulate, and if need be- we would run.

"Take it as a compliment." Vlad said, with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment…" Phantom retorted, slightly on guard.

Plasmius' chuckle was dark and foreboding.

"Have you met my Master, yet?" Vlad asked curiously, floating down so he was sitting. A much more… friendlier position. Phantom allowed himself a small, untensed moment.

"Unless your Master is Vortex, Skulker, Desiree, Technus, Ember, Elliot, or Spectra-" Phantom stated calmly, his fatigue carefully hidden behind a façade of trained impassiveness- which I felt more than saw, "Then no."

Vlad raised a brow before chuckled again.

"Quite impressive." Vlad admitted, resting his chin on his palm as he looked us over. "You've managed to avoid or run from most of the names on the list. Though Elliot is a surprise. Wouldn't have thought he would be allowed to hunt... I am sure you can guess the last few, correct?"

Phantom and I had thought about them a lot, and for the most part, we thought we knew them. Or their names.

"There's only three left…" Phantom said, floating carefully over the ledge as he looked towards the moon. "You, Pariah, and… well we weren't quite sure the last one."

Another chuckle came from Vlad, and Phantom snapped his head to look at him.

"Very, very good." Vlad admitted once again. He then went on to ask, "Did you have a close call… Oh, I don't know, two or three days ago?"

Phantom tensed, and my heart dropped into my stomach.

From Phantom's silence, Vlad detected our answer.

"That," Vlad said, smirking slightly but also a tad bit sadly. "was Pariah."

Inside our heads, shit hit the fan. We knew that the signature had been strong… but it hadn't been familiar. We thought maybe there had been another ghost… another strong ghost that would be able to get us. That dark horse of the lot. Nobody talking about him. But Pariah? The ghost that changed signatures with mood? Who would have thought he would leave the ghost zone for us?

Outside, we were a little more composed. Our hands shook, and I wanted to throw up, but it was much easier to pretend that this was all a dream.

"Pariah?" Phantom said, dumbfounded. "Pariah Dark? The King?"

_:Shit.:_ I said. _:This is bad.:_

_:I thought we would have at least another two months, __**at least**__, before he wanted to get us…:_ Phantom murmured in our head. _:It's how he works. Give 'em a half a year. A sense of security. Then bag and tag them if they are good enough…:_

"Yes." Vlad said, making us snap our heads to watch him walking closer. We floated a little up, and he stopped. "It was ahead of schedule. But when you started disappearing for days at a time… the trackers got confused and lost you."

Phantom and I nodded as one. That had been our plan, but we had never thought the consequences would be so severe.

The king? Out this early in the game?

"Pariah decided that you were a worthy hunt, after you managed to shake Wulf. Nobody before had… disappeared for days, like you did." Vlad informed us.

"So why are you here, then?" Phantom asked, voice shaking the slightest bit. "Warn us? Brag?"

Vlad did not chuckle this time, simply sighed.

"No. I came with a message." Vlad said, then drew himself up a little.

"My Master says: I always enjoy a good chase. Give me that and I can promise you a life of servitude only one other has."

Phantom stiffened, wanting to retort, but Vlad raised a hand. His eyes softening a small bit. Shocking me.

"From me though," Vlad said, shocking us further. "Run. He's only a day behind. Pariah that is."

We spared him no backward glance. The words were out of his mouth and we were off the roof top. We had taken a gamble with him and it had paid off. Now, he was telling us to run. Our well-earned rest of five minutes turning into a greater treasure than before.

We did just that. We flew for days, stopping for an hour at a time to fall into a small coma like sleep, brain still active and searching for a threat.

* * *

><p>My birthday had come and gone.<p>

February 9th.

Phantom and I had stopped by a river to make a small candle-boat, releasing it into the water with a wish written on the side. I had used a newspaper, which was ironically enough the only one I had been able to read in almost six months.

And I devoured the words, because the subject was one I was very intimate with.

_**Jack Fenton: Trial of the century. Will it be life in prison for this one time killer?**_

_:I wonder who they tagged him for?: _Phantom questioned. I didn't care, I searched the article for the only person who mattered. Maddie gave many quotes and statements, all in Jack's defense. It was pathetic and I skipped it for the most part. And as I searched the articles over and over and over, I didn't find it. The thing I was looking for.

The _person_ I was looking for.

Jazz was mentioned only to have said, "No comment."

I felt my heart constrict as I tried to imagine what I had done to Jazz. But I was a selfish person. And it was hard. Knowing and thinking about an event are two different things.

As I released the candle boat, I managed to watch the wax drip all over the sullen face of Jack Fenton. I was bone tired, but I allowed a small smile, knowing someone else had to be in a worse position than me.

My wish was written in bright-yellow on the side. I had stolen the highlighter off some random kid, just for this occasion. It was discarded next to a boulder.

"Maybe next year — Sleep would be really welcome."

* * *

><p>We made it four months more, being sneaky and downright invisible almost the entire time, before we came upon our next biggest problem: The police had finally caught on, and were now chasing the both of us.<p>

Danny Phantom for being a 'criminal and ghost' and me for being a 'runaway'.

There were posters of us showing up in all cities, near all manner of people. For me, there was a reward, a phone number, an email address, a charity where you could donate to help find me, and a picture of me grinning with Sam and Tucker. There was also a message at the bottom pleading for my return, like I had been kidnapped. For Danny, there was just a telephone number to the nearest police station, with an angry picture of my mother.

It was annoying, and more than once I wanted to punch someone when they came up to me and asked if I was, 'that missing girl'. This didn't happen often, because Phantom and I were on _the run_, but whenever I was me, it happened like clockwork. A lot of times I would simply throw my hair over my shoulders (which had grown incredibly long), 'harumph', and walk off (acting more offended that they thought I was a runaway than homeless).

And of course, with the recognition of my human form, and the recognition of Phantom happening more often, the ghosts would get closer and closer to finding us. Our names were spoken more and more liberally in the cities we visited. It would only be a matter of time before the Police matched up Phantom's presence in a city to my own.

We were almost constantly shivering, suppressing our Core whenever we could. Hiding in plain sight and using that new power of ours to keep still and silent. Getting a few hours of relaxation and planning time in.

We had encountered almost everyone on the List, but had managed to get away by the skin of our teeth. Skulker actually giving us the worst time in Atlanta. Though, a close second call was Pariah in Washington D.C. when he had totally cornered us and we had managed to escape by standing still for almost seven hours straight.

* * *

><p>In the beginning of the ninth month, we felt two incredibly powerful ghost signatures. Clockwork and Pariah. Scaring us greatly and making us run for almost four days straight. At the end of <em>that<em> latest tryst, we were shivering and shaking - stealing food clumsily from a super-market to feed our ever present hunger. The energy we had once had was not depleted, per say, but we were _just_ now getting it back up to an acceptable level by staying still and not breathing for almost two days. A feat I want to go noticed. Not unnoticed.

_:Tenth month.:_ Phantom breathed in our heads as we sat in a tree, not moving for the umpteenth time that month.

_:Two more months before Vlad comes after us.:_ I responded bitterly, coiling into the safety of our Core and trying to sense the signatures around us. There were quite a few, but none even close to threatening. The most they could do was tell their Master's we had been here and then disappeared off the map. Which was a danger, but we were too tired to care.

We had more important things to contemplate. Like how to stay free.

We still hadn't figured out who Vlad's Master was. True, it was between Pariah or Clockwork (we'd narrowed it that far), but we couldn't quite decide who was more likely. It was almost inconceivable in our mind that Clockwork could force anyone to do anything… And Pariah, we were still pissed at for forcing us to run with such reckless abandon, and it made sense that he would want a monopoly on Halfa's.

Then again, we had not seen either of them enough to yell and rage.

_:This sucks.:_ I told Phantom mock-blithely.

He agreed as we steeled ourselves for another seven hours of forced rest.

* * *

><p>I didn't know how much it sucked more, until we reached the 'Year and a little more' mark, and Vlad joined the game, flanked with the Fright Knight and Walker. And about fourteen other ghosts with a power level able to match or absolutely crush ours.<p>

We had thought it was bad six months before. We had thought we were going to die, two months before. Now though? I was almost positive we would be lasting at most another month, if not twenty more minutes.

_Why?_

**Because** we had been found by everyone, and it was not going to end pretty.

"Come now, Child!" Shouted a voice, as a body slammed into Phantom, throwing Phantom to the ground. "It will be so easy to just give in and become mine!"

"Fright Knight, your forethought is awful." Walker snarled (shocking a large majority of the people with his vocab), launching himself at Fright Knight as Phantom slipped away. The two Ghosts were now fighting each other for the right to beat the crap out of us. It was the perfect opportunity to sneak away-

"Not so fast, little badger," Vlad's voice slammed into Phantom and I at about the same time his fist did. We doubled over in pain, groaning. Our minds so exhausted we literally couldn't even begin to process who was who. We were just Phantom. The one who needed to get away, right now. "Can't have you leaving the party too soon, whatever will my _Master _think of that?"

Clearly, he didn't care.

"Like I care, _Plasmius._" We snarled, with one voice, exhaustion evident and clear in our body language. Turning intangible around his next fist punch and jetting towards a clearing. We made it about four feet before something sat on our back, making us land with a 'ompfh' as the air left our lungs.

"Dearie me, did I do that?" The Lunch Lady asked, blinking innocently at me as I tried to get out from underneath her.

Which did eventually happen, but only for us to be picked up by one of her meaty-claws and hoisted above the ground. We snarled as one and drop-kicked her face, which snapped it back with a crack and she tumbled with it. Phantom and I shook with effort as we looked at the mad mash that was currently being fought.

For us. Over us. Almost a bloodbath — if ghosts could bleed.

Walker had the Fright Knight down in the dirt, reciting some kind of law mumble-jumbo. Kitty and Johnny 13 were having one of their many lovers spats, this time pertaining to why Kitty thought Phantom was hot. A few other nameless ghosts were pumbling each other into the ground for about the fifth time. Skulker was stuck in a tree for some reason, and I knew that I was part of it. I couldn't for the life of me remember though. Ember and Desiree were at war, their hair at odds with themselves. And Vlad was-

Vlad was standing triumphantly over a downed Young Blood. Looking over at Phantom's weakened form and walking towards us, his gait sickeningly calm. Nobody noticed him. Or they did, but thought nothing of it. Phantom and I tried to move from our barely standing position, but it was literally no use.

Spectra, I think (so many jumbled moves in this battle), had tossed some kind of gunk on us that was slow acting. Goop that was all over our legs and arms and chest and neck. It was currently holding us hostage as Vlad came waltzing over like he owned the place.

I felt like a statue. A statue forced to watch their own death.

The struggling helped with nothing.

I wondered what Vlad was seeing as he looked at us. Our suit torn beyond recognition (most likely not even covering all the right parts), bloody and sagging. Our suit barely hanging on by the pants. Making me feel like I should be embarrassed that I had no shirt on, but I was currently a guy, so I wasn't. Staring at him with wide green eyes as we tried to move our body. Terror probably showing on our face. The cool wind flowed over our overheated body.

It had been only ten minutes prior that we had been running, and then we had gotten jumped by the motley band of ghosts. If I was honest: We hadn't stood a chance. But we had fought valiantly. So little time to truly fight though. Everything had moved so fast.

The part that pissed me off the most was that the List ghosts weren't even here, except for what seemed like the lackies. Vlad, Skulker, Ember… Desiree.

Nothing matter though. Not with Vlad stepping closer and closer to my frantic mind-numbed brain.

One hand pinching each digit of his glove and pulling, finally releasing his hand from within the gloves grasp, Vlad crept closer to us. How nobody else saw the prize slipping away from their fingers… I will never know. Maybe there were only two sides in this war: Clockworks people and Pariah's people. I wanted to shout and cry and run and beg for something, but it was no use to even get our mouth open. Phantom was dead on his feet, literally and figuratively. I was dead in everything else.

Frustrated tears seeped past my wide eyes.

Vlad's hand came to rest on a torn part of our jumpsuit (a little slip of fabric held together beneath our neck), on our arm, touching bare skin and for a fraction of a second it was cool. It was also a fraction of a second that our eyes met, where Vlad smirked quite warmly for the situation and said,

"So glad you waited a year for me, little badger."

And then the world stopped making sense as we screamed in agony. The past year forgotten as we sat at the mercy of Vlad. Our left forearm was searing, sending out a panic distress call towards every part of our body. It was no use of course. That hellish mixture of Spectra' slowed down our shaking body. Our motor skills shot to hell.

And then we didn't exist for a second.

I didn't see anything as I fell into the abyss. Just darkness. Lightness. Grayness. Everything and nothing. Warmth and cold. The world and the space that occupied it. Everything.

Everything.

* * *

><p>When we came back from the abyss, it was to our body falling and Vlad catching us against his body smoothly. Of course, we didn't stay with it much longer. Just long enough for us to change human. The blind light traveling over Phantom's form and creating me. My clothes mostly pristine, but quickly being soaked in blood from my many wounds.<p>

Then we didn't exist for longer than a second. It might have been a few days. Phantom and I were past the point of caring.

Though I had the strangest feeling that someone was laughing at my life, sitting on the sidelines and then giving Vlad a big smile for securing a pretty, little chess piece. A useful piece. Akin to a queen on the board. Vlad and I were the Queens. Now who were the Kings?

Because it seems silly to have two same colored queens. Afterall everyone knows, it's cheating to have two Queens under one King.

* * *

><p>On the Year mark, we had tried to split ourselves again and again and again.<p>

For almost five seconds, we had held ourselves in two different bodies. Still connected through our mind, and speaking only through such, but together and apart.

It was wondrous.

It was amazing.

And it was utterly useless that we only learned it, to be captured a week later.


	9. Check

And this is the final chapter before the epilogue. It's been fun rewriting this, for sure!

"WORD" Regular dialogue

:_WORD_: Inner dialogue between Danni and Phantom

* * *

><p><strong>Check<strong>

* * *

><p><em>"Clo-Clockwork." I said, mouth open and resembling a fish more and more. "You-Yo-you're…"<em>

**-~P~**

I woke up repeatedly.

I think.

It was all hazy and fuzzy and not-image worthy. Like swimming under water and opening your eyes, but the chlorine somehow gets to you and makes you want to run away screaming. Kind of like that. But not.

Nothing made sense.

Dreams and reality smashed together. Dragons were a big part of them. And Badgers. Most everything was made of smells, which was confusing, because I was positive I could see. Vanilla and charcoal overwhelmed my senses.

The other half was comprised of feelings. Touch of burn and touch of ice cold water.

I think I was in pain. Not sure. I could have just been sleeping awkwardly. Or was I sleeping? Was I dead?

I don't know…

That frightened me. How long had I not known? A long time? A short time? A time of times?

But what was time compared to not knowing?

… I hadn't a clue.

* * *

><p>Now. I have a bad habit of waking up with a headache or not remembering where the hell I was before I dropped off the deep end. It might have to do with the fact that running away is detrimental to one's health. Or the fact that I hadn't had a full meal in over six months, or it could have even been the fact that my brain just decided to give up on me.<p>

I didn't know.

Which really freaked me out.

Yet... I did not freak out.

The silk beneath my body was lovely, and the lump under my head felt like a cloud. A cloud of cotton candy, but without the stickiness. Which made it a total new level of lovely. My whole body was a dead weight against the object I was on. The thing that was folding around my body giving me a hug as if it was my new love interest… Well, I wanted it to never let me go. My mind was blank and Phantom was quiet.

Phantom was silent...

Wait. No. That wasn't right.

That was wrong, and I knew it better than I knew myself.

Phantom shouldn't be quiet.

_:Phantom?: _I asked weakly in my own head, sounding like I had been screaming for days. Reaching out into the darkness of my own thoughts.

It took an eternity for him to respond.

_:Danni?:_ I heard back, in a voice so _weak _I almost thought the brush against my consciousness was a bug hitting my mental shield.

I snapped my eyes open at that, coming in contact with a glaring, bright light. I hissed in pain, not remembering I had a hand to move in front of the beam. Blinking a hundred miles a minute, I tried to get the hallucinogenic shapes seared into my eyeballs away. One of them was a tennis ball, I was sure. Trying to stop the tears that prickled from the unwelcome assault, I looked away.

Towards a wall.

A wall which was most definitely not a wall in an alleyway. Or a dumpster. Or the underside of a bridge. Or the empire state buildings windows. Or a normal black wall.

_:Danni.:_

This wall was white, and clean, and almost too bright for my tastes.

I blinked again.

And for a moment, a glorious moment filled with softening, white light; I didn't understand why that should matter. Why the fact that the dirt _not_ being present scared me. Why Phantom's voice in my head, getting progressively stronger and weaker, made my stomach clench in fear. Why my body shivering even though I knew I was not cold. The cold never bothered me. That wasn't the case now, though, because I was trembling like a building that had just been felled.

_:Danni.:_

Then, that moment ended. And I was thrown into reality.

I did not scream. I did not cry. I did not go back to sleep.

Oh, I wanted to. _Soo_ wanted to. Would have killed for it. Would have given my right arm to be able to, in fact. But I didn't.

I did something a little worse.

I started coping.

We'd been running for a long time. A long, long time. I had already known, at about the fourth month, that we would have a Master before the end of the second year. It was just one of those things that was like a premonition. We were awesome at running, but... nobody could run forever.

Case and point: Phantom.

He had been free for a long, long time before I had come into the picture. But I had ultimately been his downfall. Human and ghost made a powerful being, it was true, but we were well past exhausted. We were well past being the strongest beings around.

I had already started to accept it. Those long months with just Phantom had seen to that.

Now... now I had to accept it.

I got up (gingerly because it hurt my bruised body) and leaned against the headboard of the bed (which I now realized was the soft silk), and looked around the room, trying not to sob. Which was hard. Having an emotional breakdown was a very, very easy option.

So easy in fact, it was a fight that I was in limbo with. And losing.

_:Phantom?:_ I called in my head hesitantly. My heart constricting in panic. The echoing silence was starting to get to me. I looked around the room that had housed me a long time ago. The room in Vlad's mansion. Where I had first had tea. Would you call it the beginning of the end?

_:Hey, Danni.:_ He replied back, voice still whispery, but slightly stronger than a moment ago. He sounded defeated. Not too hard in our current position. Ronald McDonald would have felt disappointed. _:Holding on?:_

I didn't say anything for a moment.

I was still struggling under the weight of the world. My emotions not quite under my control. I let it wash over Phantom, and we both staggered. Tears prickled my eyess and I didn't even try to deep breath it back under control.

_:We lost… didn't we?:_ I asked redundantly as the back of my head slammed against the headboard. Hard. My right hand clenched, and for some reason my other hand was just numb. Unresponsive. I didn't really mind too much. Pain or nothing? I didn't really have a mind to care about anything.

At the moment.

_:Yeah.:_ Danny confirmed. That nightmare of a fight that was currently flashing through my head.

_:We… lost.:_

I curled up my legs, found I was in some weird silk pajama bottoms with a really sheer-type shirt, and allowed my forehead to thud against my knees. Someone had changed my clothes. I couldn't decide if I was thankful or degraded by the act. I didn't think we had enough hydration throughout our body to muster tears, so I didn't even try. I managed a sniffle though. It was dry and tired. Like me.

"Ahhhh," I heard somewhere above me, to the left. The voice most definitely not Phantom's. Though that was a given, since it happened outside my head. A rarity. An oddity. Something that hadn't happened for a couple of months, at least. "So the run-away awakens."

Vlad. Most definitely Vlad. The British-almost-accent made me want to just tear his face off. Something clicked hearing his voice. All the hazy details from the ten minute fight came back, and it made me want to murder him.

I heard his shoes tip-tap closer.

My mind was currently going through the fight.

The ten minutes of hell after almost a year of purgatory. So many details I had forgotten or that had seemed insignificant, were now popping out at me- screaming at me. The moment Walker tripped us, the way that Elliot was able to see through our 'signature-hiding' ability, the stupid way they all seemed to work in tandem. How Vlad had come in at the last moment, perfectly able to beat the crap out of everyone, but mostly focusing his attentions on me. On us. Making me wonder who the hell was on who's side.

I also remembered perfectly how it felt to have a mark seared into my arm…

My head snapped up and glared at the perfectly manicured figure of Mr. Masters, standing at the foot of the bed. My… ugh, Master. The very title sounded like goop, the texture on my tongue making me want to gag. His grey suit was immaculate. His tie a sort of silly-badger montage. His hair perfect. A billionaire perfection.

And I **hated **him.

"Yo-you," I stuttered my jaw hurting from the fight, most likely where someone had nailed me, narrowing my eyes at him. He just raised an eyebrow.

There were many things I wanted to say to Vlad. Call him many names. But I held it inside, because the end of the fight was seared into my brain. My arm was not hurting near as much as it should be.

"You Branded me." I said, breathlessly. Vlad said nothing, just watched. How did most people handle these kinds of situations?

Redundant question, people didn't have to handle these kinds of situations.

_:Us.:_ Phantom supplied helplessly. I blinked confused for a moment, _:He didn't just mark you Danni, I've been marked, too.:_

His mind was labored and slow, and it took him twice as long as usual for him to say that simple sentence. Phantom was exhaustion at its most perfect definition. It was as if he went from eagle to snail, in speed.

I patted him reassuringly in our mind (more like a nervous tick on my end that helped me not break out in a fit of hysterical laughter), and tried to get him to just relax. His body and mind were helplessly tired, and he needed more rest than I did. Even if it was currently my body suffering for it. Even though my body was the one that was marked. It didn't matter.

Phantom deserved it.

We had been in his form at the start of the branding, after all.

My eyes immediately traveled over my arm, looking for our mark I knew would be marring my skin. When I reached it, I had to take a breath before going over it. My fingers turned my skin near my forearm as I caught sight of the brown-ish upturned skin.

I shook as I looked it over, feeling sick.

If ever there was a moment that I wanted to kill Vlad more, besides when he first got us, it was now.

"A badger cub?" I snarled to myself, glaring through my hedgy bangs to Vlad's smug face. I added for his benefit, "You marked me-us with the Packer's theme animal?"

My injustice was felt through the whole room. I glared down at my arm, willing my anger to make the object invading my arm go away. Wishing away reality was worse than dreaming for a dream you've never known.

The symbol was glaring at me. A badger cub. Mocking.

It was an odd symbol. About a third of the way up my arm from the wrist, coiling around my arm in a way that it could not be missed from any side. You had to have problems to not see it. And it was a sight.

A small badger with paws stretched forward in a walking motion. The colors were muted and red-brown. The strange formation of my naked skin and the burned area creating a badger that had its left forepaw raised and its stare looking to whoever happened to be looking at it. For a baby animal, it looked innocent but strangely fierce. Probably because of its grin that looked more feral than pitiful.

_:So… egotis….tical….:_ Phantom huffed weakly through the paper-thin shield I had erected. I agreed with him, before shushing him. His voice had progressively gotten stronger and weaker, but I could hear the feebleness. We **had** been running non-stop for almost three weeks before we had been knocked down for the count.

I traced the mark, wincing as the still sensitive burn twanged its pain at me. I drew my fingers back as fast as I could, but it still echoed and inflamed the skin. Making the little badger burn a brighter red, looking like suntanned skin dipped in rubbing alcohol. Feeling like it, too.

I glared once more at Vlad. Who did not really notice how pissed I was. Or did, but did not humor me. Just raised that eyebrow and watched me… mockingly. His oh-so-might persona glaring at me.

Like I was below him-

My eyes dropped minutely as my thoughts turned sour.

Not that it mattered. _Feeling_ below him? That was not the worst part of all of this. I was _owned. _I **was** below him. There was no denial that I could be a part of _big enough_ to hide the facts from me. Especially when the person currently revolving the problem around me was in front of me, being all high and mighty.

_That. _That was the worst part.

I thought I would feel different, when it happened. The whole Marking thing. Owned. Cowed. Pitiful. Weak. Belonging to someone else _by law_. I thought I would feel like I was dirty… or something. Like there was a bond that could not be broken.

But I didn't. I felt normal. Scared and frightened, but normal. Healed but somewhere, broken.

I barely mustered up another angry look at Vlad.

I was just too used to running, that fighting had taken a backseat.

Vlad, who was still on some part of cloud nine though, simply smirked us into the ground. Or me. Phantom was still down for the count. Phantom, who managed to grumble something I couldn't understand before I pushed him into the back of our joined conscious, was in simple 'existence state'.

Where he _was_, but nobody could see him.

I was currently trying to get him to reverse our half-sleep and just allow himself a moment of rest. After doing almost all of the work for a year, he deserved it.

It was not working.

He was very pig headed.

I was pulled out of our mind before I could manage a stronger shield for Phantom.

"I thought it was a perfect symbol." Vlad said, grabbing ahold of my left arm and before I could stop him, placed his whole right palm on the mark. As if he was grabbing a salami. I hissed, preparing myself to wince and closed my eyes ready for the pain.

But nothing happened. In fact, it felt much better than it had previously. Like it was cooling down.

That was not what I had been expecting.

The pleasant feeling surrounding my forearm made me light headed.

I opened my eyes to Vlad sitting on the bed, hand clasped around my wrist possessively, his fingers glowing. The fear was back, alongside a healthy dose of awe. And alongside those emotions was some kind of variation of my sick, complacent thoughts. Not sick as in… stomach flu. Sick as in wrong. Not giving up per se, but close. Thinking about giving up.

So close. Very close. Thinking about the act of giving up.

Turn the act into a career.

Phantom hissed weakly at me.

"Badgers are ruthless in their pursuits," Vlad began, in a tone somewhat like Mr. Lancer's, unknowingly breaking me out of my thoughts of submission. Lecture ready, he continued. My eyes left the mark and traveled up to his face. That goatee was kind of strange I decided, hazily. What little strength I had gathered since I woke slowly fading. "Rather speedy, and able to take down prey and predators more than twice their size."

There was a spike in the warmth, making my arm release more and more of its tension, until my hand was just limp.

"Sound a little like a breed you know?" Vlad asked, with a chuckle, his hand not moving. And even though my hands shook, I allowed him. Part of me was terrified what kind of punishment I would get if I took my arm away before he wanted me too (something I had had waking nightmares of during our run-not specifically of Vlad punishing me, either). The other part of me, somewhat smaller, wanted to rebel and snarl and rage and attack. And I knew which one I wanted to follow.

_Stop_ being smart for once, and follow.

But my strength was sapped, and weak, and it had been who knows how long since I had had the crap beat out of me. Phantom, rather.

We were bone tired, and deserved a yearlong sleep. It really was remarkable that we had even been able to stand up during our fight when we were so dog-tired.

How we had survived for the year we were on our own… I'll never know.

I was intelligent enough to not attack first, not with Vlad. Not to land the first blow. Especially when he was doing something to my arm, that allowed a soothing to happen that I really, really liked. Like aloe on a sunburn. If I wasn't feeling so disoriented…

But no.

_:Face the facts Danni.:_ I told myself.

I had prided myself on preparing for the inevitable and trying my hardest to embrace it when the time came. The inevitable being owned, that is. The thought of it. I just never realized how easy it was to give in. Especially when Vlad was not being all vampiric and scary and-

Wait.

Hold on a second…

"You based your love of the Packers, Badgers, and Wisconsin in general off of… _Halfas_?" I asked, so confused, finally catching onto the one-sided conversation Vlad had been having. It seemed beyond strange that Vlad Masters would pick something so… superficial as a favorite animal because of what he was. Sentimental.

Vlad Masters was not a sentimental man… Had I thought that particular sentence a while ago?

"Us?" I added, gesturing to the two of us with the arm Vlad was not 'soothing'.

"Yes." Vlad responded with a dark look thrown my way, still not removing his hand. I almost (almost) flinched. He explained himself a little better. "You know that I was fairly young when I was turned into… this…"

A vague gesture to his chest.

"Positive we had that conversation." He stated.

I almost rolled my eyes at the 'vagueness' of it all. How we couldn't even say some of the words that had been done to our persons. It wasn't particularly scarring. Brought back memories… sure, but mostly harmless.

"I based quite a lot of my latter years off of my condition. And in that, most of my hobbies, likes, and dislikes. Being a halfa shaped me more than being human. With it, I was changed, and I knew I could either accept that- or deny it. It was not-"

Vlad was comfortable with who he was. Who he had become. He had shaped all of his own life, with the exception of having a master. And as I watched him explain why he loved Badgers (some superfluous reason including their color) I kind of gathered an understanding.

Vlad was the only other person I could even remotely relate to.

"-Enough of me though." Vlad said, this strange gleam in his eyes. My mind was snapped back to him and my arm. I nearly tugged my limb away, or at least I tried to.

A tiny bit. Testing the waters.

Vlad's grip was steel in its intensity, though, and refused to let me go.

"Let's talk about you."

I winced, wanting to hide in a very dark, black hole, like I had been for the past year. What could he possibly have to talk to me about myself and Phantom? What collars we were going to wear? My heart jumped at that particular picture and I swore that I would never, ever bring it up to Vlad.

Who knew what he would do with that particular fear?

We had literally lived in the dark for a year and then some. Twelve months of no communication with others. What did we have to talk about? Stealing techniques? How to run away from the police when someone catches you stealing food? How to bow down to a guy twice your age, because he marked you and now owns you, without allowing any of your exhaustion to show? (I bet the internet would love a gander at that one.)

"Now, now, little badger. I won't **bite**," I tried to glare, but it was weak. The picture of Phantom with a collar and a leash not leaving my mind. Vlad finally let my arm go in favor of standing upright, like a drill sergeant. The pose of Royalty. Of someone better. I drew my hand to my chest, feeling the healing Vlad had managed to work do wonders for the flexibility of the limb. It felt numb, like it was asleep. Completely useless.

"You lasted the longest time of any runaway to date. You know?" Vlad told me, conversationally, but I could see the darkening in his eyes. Something other than just talking about how amazing I was. "A full year and eleven days."

_:So? Why did that matter?:_

"Congratulations."

He said it like it was an accomplishment. Something to be proud of.

I was not proud of it. In mine and Phantom's eyes, a year was nothing to be proud of. We had tons of years to go, still. Losing in the second year was not impressive to us. It was like losing a game in the last stretch, knowing you had a chance to get to the championship.

We still lost; am I supposed to feel good about that? Am I supposed to instantly thank him? Am I supposed to embrace that fact I lost? Know that I wasn't good enough? Knowing I didn't feel like our try was good enough. Or I was good enough for _that_. A compliment.

Over a year. Running. Exhaustion our only friend and the whole world our enemy. Vlad wanted to talk about that? Tell us we did good?

_:Is… he… seri…ous?:_ Phantom asked, somehow breaking through the small shield I had erected to keep him down and calm. It seemed he was not going to back down, so I allowed him to sidle up with me. Taking his rightful place. We were equals in this body, even if he was being thick headed.

_:I feel like he just told us that we had used the potty correctly for the first time…: _I grumbled, watching Vlad watch me.

When it was clear I had nothing nice to say, he continued on. A brief look of narrowed bewilderment passed over his face, but he hid it well.

I guess I wasn't acting like he thought I would. Which made me wonder how the hell he expect me to act? I was a sixteen year old that had run away from home… did he think I was really going to be immature about all of this?

Come to think of it. I should be, why wasn't I?

"How did you avoid detection for so long?" Vlad demanded (finally), almost. It was not quite a demand, because he didn't put the force behind it. It wasn't a command to tell him either. Though, I felt a strong itching that was _impressing_ on me that I should follow him. That I should do exactly as he told me to. And, too tired to stop myself, I told him.

"New ability."

Vlad raised an eyebrow and asked the obvious question, "Well, how does it work?"

"It's kind of like…" I admitted, trying to find the right words. "a cloaking device for our signature." I didn't give its weaknesses, because the whole 'standing still' thing was a big letdown when you really thought about it. _I can turn invisible! But, well… I have to never move_. It kept us alive this long, though, without a master, before ultimately failing us… Or is it the other way around? Did we fail it?

_:We… probably… failed… it:_ Phantom responded, able to say each word now instead of breaking up. But he was clearly too weak to string together coherent sentences.

Vlad questioned me about everything under the sun. What our diet had been like. What our plan had been in the beginning. The other new abilities we had mastered (reluctantly forcing us to admit that we could split now). If I missed my family (this on had caught me off guard, but I had answered with: only Jazz). How we had escaped the human side of the equation. What was the best city we had hide in (no surprise, it had been New York).

Pointless and stupid questions. It made me wondered how long I had truly been running. And how fast I had fallen. My body was exhausted and I hid it as well as I could. Phantom and I had been able to do that for a long time. Hide our weakness and make us seem stronger. More so to protect us then to be brave.

I winced, wondering how long we had been out. So I asked Vlad, politely. As politely as one could, in the situation. Which was still a bit snippy, but considerably better than any conversations I had had recently.

"About three days, give or take an hour." Vlad replied honestly (after pondering our ability), making me stare at him in distrust. He was looking at our arm every now and then, and I hide it as best I could against my stomach. Bits and pieces of the badger still poked out, though. Vlad was just happy.

There was only so much I could handle of Vlad being proud of himself. Arrogant. And when he caught a glance of the mark on our arm, his eyes smiled.

"We've been down for three days?" I asked incredulously. It didn't feel like it. I was still stiff, aching, and wanting to sleep for years, yes. **But**. I was awake. I could feel the bruises that refused to show on my hybrid skin, deep in my tissue. The pain was pushed into the back of my mind, but the fatigue was dragging my limbs down. It hardly felt like I had slept half a week away, especially after the beating I had taken.

"Yes," Vlad responded, impatiently. "We were sure you would be out for at least a week. But then everyone seems to forget about your abilities to surprise everyone far outweigh your abilities to stay unchanging. Plus, divide your healing abilities by two and you'll have a recovery rate of -"

My right arm shook from the force of my clenched fist. My mind was slower than normal, but I still caught the phrases and words he used. And their importance. One of which was _**we**_. And _**everyone.**_

We. We. We. Everyone. Everyone. Everyone.

"Who's 'we'?" I asked abruptly cutting him off, not wanting to know the answer, but knowing that I would get it eventually.

Vlad had been interrupted but took it well enough. He didn't spit fire.

"That would be Clockwork. Heard of him have you?" Vlad stated, as if he had just commented on the weather, not some life changing fact. His eyes dulled slightly as he talked about the other ghost. "He would be my illustrious Master."

And time was irrelevant.

_:Clockwork?:_

_:Him?:_

_:But I thought…:_

_:What about Pariah?:_

_:Clockwork.:_

_:Is this-:_

It seemed improbable. Insane. Crazy.

Though made so much sense. Clockwork or the King.

It had been between the two, and now I could see either way, that the ghost king won. The Ghost King was the master Commander of all of us, and it was just now sinking in. Clockwork was the only one with enough power to stand right next to the Ghost King… so, of course. It made sense.

It didn't mean my mind caught on to that fact.

"Clockwork?" I voiced dumbly, shivering as the cold of the room became apparent.

"Yes." Vlad snipped, quite patiently. "Clockwork."

_:Clockwork.: _Phantom mimicked me.

I jumped as a voice said behind me. "Yes, Daniella?"

It took half a second for my mind to catch up with my body, but I was already turning towards the time ghost. He was currently middle-aged, and aging fast. I'd say he had about fourteen more seconds until he became Father Time. His beard was slowly turning scraggly as his one good eye searched me out. He looked completely calm and collected. Something I always envied and despised about him.

I managed not to cower against the headboard as he hovered closer (the pure power-energy buzzing and making me light headed), but I did lean back from my position of crouching over my arm (hitting the board behind me hard, might I add).

"Clo-Clockwork." I said, mouth open and resembling a fish more and more. "You-Yo-you're…"

My brain just kind of stopped at that moment.

"I did tell you to expect the unexpected, didn't I?" He questioned me and my ragged brain. All I could do was nod. Then, before I could blink, he was right next to me and tracing the symbol on my arm (which had fallen against my thigh). His eyes were bright, and I could see the gears turning behind those intense orbs. His staff was clutched tightly in his hand, but I could tell it was looser than usual.

"I thought you would take me a little more literally than that."

"I-I-I did." I stuttered.

And Clockwork had on a smile that could frighten a puppy into submission. His hand still on my arm as he looked over Vlad's handiwork.

"Vlad," Clockwork then said, looking away from me towards where the billionaire was leaning against the post of the bed. Immediately, Vlad stopped looking at me and turned towards his Master. As soon as eye contact was broken on both sides I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yes?" Vlad asked in a much more respectful voice than I had ever heard before. One I would think he would use in the presence of the King or Queen.

"I'm leaving." He announced unexpectedly, before releasing my arm. His sentence was confusing. He had just arrived.

I didn't even try to bring my arm back towards my body. There was a slow burn that had started in the mark, not at all unpleasant. And I was all of the sudden exhausted, angry because I had questions, and extremely fearful.

"I expect that you will not break her?"

A strange look crossed Master's face before he shook his head, ruefully almost.

"After that good of a chase?" Vlad questioned himself, catching my eye once again. He shook his head to his own question.

"If I was allowed - she wouldn't have needed such a mark."

_:What?:_ I croaked in my mind.

_:What?:_ Phantom echoed.

"Good. As it should be." Was the only answer Vlad got before Clockwork disappeared into the silence.

An echoing, "Three weeks from now, then. She is not quite up for it, today," fading behind him.

And then we were stuck in a two second long silence, before I started breathing again.

"Clockwork." I repeated numbly for the third time.

"Watch out, Daniella." Vlad warned me, "You're starting to sound like a broken record."

"Does he… does he do that often?" Phantom questioned weakly, using my mouth.

"Yes. And, believe me. You'll get used to it."

And all of the sudden, as the reality hit me and I gave Vlad a disbelieving look, I felt bone-marrow-blood-cell tired. I shook with the intensity it took me to stay up, and then some. I felt drugged, dazed, out of it and worse- I could feel myself giving in.

I didn't think Vlad drugged me, but anything was possible… Anything.

I felt myself losing all motor functions as Phantom wavered in strength as well. The outside world started meaning little as I tried to support Phantom, who was sapping our strength to stay up and about. It was like I was fainting slowly. Like the world was working against me.

Vlad was saying something. I didn't catch it.

But he said something.

My mind kept reminding me that I should listen.

Then I was moving and under silk-wonderful-bliss, and warming my cold body.

I guess I fell asleep to Vlad saying something more. Something that could have been important.

* * *

><p>The next time we woke up, it was to a maid leaning over our body and fluffing our pillow. Her hair was blond, so I knew she was a different maid than last time. With the tea. Probably. Who knew? People dye their hair all the time.<p>

Waking up this time was refreshing in a way that the other time had not been. The few differences being that I knew exactly what was going on, I knew exactly how much energy I had (close to none), and I was owned. Not even bought and paid for. Just owned.

I felt almost omnipotent.

The maid looked surprised at my opened eyes, before smiling.

"You're up!" She exclaimed, more good naturedly than I had expected. Her voice completely contrasting my own emotions. It was bubbly and bright. Something that had no place in my life at the moment.

"I shall inform Mr. Masters!"

"Wai-"

Then, before I could stop and ask her name, the time, anything, she was off, out the door, and searching.

:_Phantom_?: I asked inside my mind. Fearing the resulting answer would be somewhere along pissed and shark-attack.

_:Clockwork.:_

Yeah. I guess that was as good a place to start as any.

_:Yeah. Clockwork… that was a surprise... eh?: _I blew a stray hair out of the way of my eyes. Self-consciously touching the mark on my arm.

_:I almost feel like it should have been Pariah… Or that we should have seen that coming.:_ I said, shifting into a sitting position. My limbs weighing me down as I settled into a sort of lean-sit. I knew I **should** be able to sit up just fine, but I was exhausted. Sitting had taken a lot more than I was willing to admit to. I wondered how long that meant I had been out this time. A week?

_:This is getting more and more insane. I feel like we got dropped into the twilight zone or something. .:_

_:You and me both…: _I retorted, crossing my arms and not even feeling the need to wince as my mark dragged over the rough material of the bedding.

I guess it wasn't as healed as it was going to get. And as I looked at it, getting a glance, I saw it was looking better. Kind of like a scab.

Phantom just continued.

_:Next thing they're going to tell us is that Clockwork isn't even marked! Or something equally insane! Like... Like Dolphins are people.:_

:_Dolphins?: _I questioned.

_:Are you sure we aren't in the Twilight Zon-: _Phantom practically begged.

_:Yes.: _I retorted, cutting Phantom off._ :Pretty sure.:_

Phantom mulled over our words, tried to find a way out of everything. He was like a cat poking at the edges of all the furniture that had been erected to keep him caught. Eventually he slunk back and sat, metaphorically, next to me. He reminded me of a caged beast, except, this time, I was the cage.

Feeling faintly awkward and sick at that image, Phantom came to my rescue and pulled me out of our mind.

_:.. How do we act now?:_

His voice was soft and weak of its own accord this time.

_:We never really **talked** about it… And I never really… you know, thought I would get caught…: _

He sounded pitiful and it made my throat close up as I realized just how terrified Phantom was at the moment.

_:Plus, you're better at acting subservient.:_

He paused. Before breathing in deeply and letting out an equally large breath. A strange sound inside our skull. I almost bagged on him for his last comment, knowing it would have come out as a barely word-breath, but I knew it wasn't the place. And he was right.

He was always right, of course. About him being pig headed. About our inevitable capture. I wouldn't blame our situation on him, but he was also not as perfect as he always claimed. Whenever I had tried to bring up the foreseeable future, he had pushed it away. Thought better to never think of it than to continually ponder it like I did.

For the most part I followed, trying to live with his ideals in my mind as well. I wasn't the best at the practice, but I did acceptably.

Now that we really had to think it all through, though… make a game plan…

It was untouchable in our minds.

_:Submissive? Obedient? Stupid?:_ I questioned with a huff. Each word making me shake a little harder.

_:Which one?:_

_:All of them and more.: _Phantom said. :_Does that mean... Gah! I don't know what it means, Danni.:_

There was something disturbing about a hundred year old ghost deferring all of our decision making to me. The younger one. The stupider one.

_:You think I do? You think I know what I'm doing? All I know for sure is that I don't **want** to get beaten. I didn't want to be marked! But... but can we even fight against him?:_

I felt like pulling my hair out by the roots.

_:I mean, I don't know who wants to be enslaved, but… We're stuck like this for a long time, maybe forever, so we gotta make the best of it - right?:_

Hesitancy seeped across the bond.

_:Yeah.:_ He responded. :_We do.:_

_:But I just don't want to lose us, in him-:_

We were interrupted from our first real talk by Vlad entering, sans the maid.

* * *

><p>His suit hadn't changed, but his tie had. It had candy-canes on it.<p>

_:What was it? Pedophile hour?... It couldn't be Christmas already, could it?:_ My mind took off with that thought.

We had left sometime in august… right? About the first week I was sure.

Vlad was stepping closer. Which made me gathered my thoughts up and shoved them into a bucket to mull over later.

"Before you ask," Was how he greeted us when he was less than a foot away. "You've been asleep for two weeks this time. It's September 1st."

Whatever I had been expecting, that was not it.

:_Two weeks? We'd been here for a little under three weeks?:_ Phantom didn't say anything.

I didn't say anything, verbally. It felt literally impossible to say anything. As if someone had taken glue and just poured it down my throat.

I swallowed.

"Two weeks?" I whispered back, finally, losing what little bravo I had started to put together.

_:Longer than I thought.:_ Phantom butted in with a strangled voice.

"Yes." Vlad said, walking the last few steps to sit on the bed, near my hip. "And a week before that, if you can remember that far. You woke up three days after the first time. But I don't think you remember that… do you?"

I shook my head.

Quiet again. Being out for two plus weeks meant I would be impossibly weak. A month… almost. What little body mass I had would have softened, and getting back into shape would be hell. Phantom would be fine. He always was.

He was dead.

_:Hey, Danni, come'on.: _Phantom broke into my thoughts, very aware of what kind of mindset I was in. He tried, valiantly, to put on a brave face.

_:You're fine. If anything, being bone-stick-skinny makes you look hot, remember?:_

I punched Danny in his metaphoric shoulder and got a_, :hey!:_ out of him.

The seriousness of the situation could not be pushed away though, and I tried to push my stress and anxiety into a little ball and throw it into a corner. It worked to make me more stiff and formal.

"What now?" I finally asked Vlad, turning to him and seeing those coal eyes stare straight through my soul. "I mean… now that I'm awake and not dead on my feet… and now that I am marked.. or branded or whatever- I mean, what do you want me to- Well-"

I was rambling, and I knew it.

"What do you think?" Vlad said, honest curiosity seeping through his voice, which was jumbled in my mind to mean he wanted answers. I blinked, straightening my thoughts. Not quite sure if it was because Vlad asked for my thoughts or not, they conformed themselves into speakable terms.

"Uhm… I don't know. Take over the world?" Phantom agreed in my head. It had been one thing that seemed more plausible than anything else. "Raid the Royal Palace? Steal something important but equally useless? I don't know… criminal things? Kick puppies?"

I thought Vlad would not take my joking lightly.

I was wrong.

"Cute." Vlad said with a smile tugging his lips, instead of raging at me.

He shook his head sadly with a smirk pulling at his lips. So apparently being funny and cute was good. No raging Vlad. If he wanted me to be cute I could do that. I could be cute 'till the cows come home.

_:Keeping us sane one joke at a time.:_ Phantom snorted.

"No imagination." Vlad said, his eyes shining with mirth, which was much better than any other emotion, because I was not being beaten. Something which had happened too much over the year we had been running. "Really, Daniella, little badger, you think I would chase after you to harness your powers to take over the world?"

_:Wouldn't you?:_ Phantom questioned darkly.

"Yes?" I said, making it more of a question than a statement.

Vlad shook his head.

"As I said two weeks ago, I was in it for the chase, mostly." Vlad stated, reminding me of a conversation we had had months ago. About what people wanted Halfa's and Ghosts for. Bragging rights were half of it. My heart sunk a little as I pictured a life as a statue. A pretty statue. A symbol of status and power.

"Your power is entice, also, granted, but I also quite enjoyed having your company for those few days your oaf of a father was here. And thinking that another ghost was going to have you... Well. Let's not discuss that, shall we? Taking over the world may be nice in a few years, but for now I think training would benefit the both of us. In time, I would expect you to help me woo your mother-"

_:Wait, what?:_ Phantom asked, and I couldn't say anything. My eyes were wide as I stared at Vlad.

"I digress. Your training is main priority. The benefits will be greater, if we train you _both_ correctly. You and your Phantom, mostly. If I am to use you to raid the Buckingham palace, you need to be at the top of your game."

He looked me over again, his eyes turning feral and possessive.

"Plus, I don't think I could quite stand you belonging to anyone else. "

I blinked at that, and looked up into his face from where my eyes had wandered, in thought more than anything else.

"It would be ideal to have you-"

"Wait." I stopped him from continuing. Rubbing my temples, trying to sort my thoughts.

Vlad couldn't just drop a bombshell like that. Wanting me…

"You want me so that others can't have me?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around that. "Not because of... because Clockwork told you to? Or like... or like because of the ghost inside of you wanting to claim us or whatever?"

Vlad deliberated our words for a moment before nodding, watching my face. Obviously treading carefully.

It was a very, very alien thought.

Being wanted.

I mean, sure, Phantom and I had been running for months, with every able bodied ghost in the ghost zone released on us like _hounds to a rabbit_. But it had always been about owning us… the thought of us. We were an attractive proposition. A human-ghost hybrid. We were rare. We were awesome. People wanted that. They wanted a weapon, a slave, an anything-they-wanted-at-a-moments-notice person. We would be that for whoever marked us.

It had been the reason we ran for so long. But Vlad. Vlad thought all of that was just a perk. A perk.

"You just want us… for us?"

"Basically." Vlad responded. "Us Halfa's have to 'stick together', as you might say. Correct?"

_:He's got to be lying.:_ Phantom whispered, and I could tell it was more to himself than anything else.

_:And if he isn't?: _I questioned most harshly to myself.

Phantom was silent.

"Wait. Wait. Wait." I said for what seemed like the umpteenth time. "That means you're not going to use me like a slave? Or a-a servant? Or… I don't know, a kitten?"

Vlad looked at me strangely.

_:Kitten?:_ Phantom asked, dead-panned. I flushed brightly at that.

"If you haven't noticed," Vlad stated slowly, as if wondering if I was mentally stable. "I have enough money that using you for that would be redundant, and more of a punishment than anything. Completely useless. I also like to think I don't need anymore servants."

I flinched.

"No. I wanted you mostly for my own greedy reasons, like anyone else. Sure. Those reasons just happen to work more to your benefit than anyone else's. Namely, not allowing you to fall into Pariah's hands, but that's neither here nor there."

I couldn't stop the words that came out.

"Like what? Besides, Pariah, you know… Uhm, like what else?"

"Like training you," Vlad said, eyes lighting up. His whole figuring becoming animated as he continued. "Having someone else living in this mansion will be wonderful as well. The maids complain that they have little work other than the necessities. I'll demand that you talk to me whenever we eat together, which may or may not be often."

Everything was just... **not** making sense.

"There are many other things, but we'll get to those when we get there."

_:He's serious.:_ Phantom acknowledged and I nodded, somewhat shocked as well. Vlad had managed to tear down walls of boarder-line hysterical thoughts. Replacing them with a well-thought out package.

We wouldn't be used like we thought we would.

I didn't know what was more of a relief; the fact that the person who now legally owned us was not going to use us like weapons or slaves, or that Vlad was going to train us like only another halfa could (making our fears of losing control null and void).

"It might be interesting to have you steal things for me, too," Vlad continued, oblivious to our discussion. "Mostly just to see if you can. Maybe taking over the world can be for a few more years down the road, yes? Later, perhaps. When I feel like the world would be ready for it."

As he talked, the weight on my chest lifted. Phantom even felt a little better. If Vlad was being truthful and honest, _and I was hoping beyond hope that he was_, then our lives would be nice. Perfect almost. Enslaved, but living like I wasn't. It was a dream come true. Something I had been hoping, praying, on but had known it would be completely ridiculous to receive. Like asking Santa for a pony. Or a brother.

Phantom was starting to let the first trickles of excitement about the training aspect, as was I, show.

There was something _enticing_ about being taught by a man who knows how you work. Intimately. The only other person teaching you how you work... it was a dream.

_:Was this a dream? Would we wake up and it all would be different?:_

_:Shit.:_ I hoped, desperately, that the answer was known.

But... weirder things could happen.

This would be amazing if Vlad was being honest.

"You're not joking are you?" I interrupted him fearfully, as he started laying down some ground rules about the mansion. "You're not going to say, like... April fools or something? Clockwork isn't going to come through and tell me I have to go do something… I don't know, weird? Like turn into a kitten... You're serious?"

Vlad watched me for a moment. Maybe I looked shocked, I don't know, but when he answered, it was mostly sincere. Or at least as sincere as Vlad could be.

"Lying to you would not get me anywhere, now would I?"

I hesitated to answer.

"Daniella. Phantom. Stop."

We did.

"In the eyes of the Ghost King's laws, you are my property." Vlad stated, matter-of-factly, "I feel like lying to you would be a waste. There is no reason for it. Plus, we know enough about each other that the redundancy of it all would wear on us. In our case, being truthful is more useful than all the lies in the world."

He looked earnest. He looked like a day-dream wrapped up in a nightmare. I was terrified that he would just pull the rug out from underneath us.

Yet, I also wanted to trust him.

It... it couldn't hurt... could it?

Vlad continued, ignoring my silence.

"Daniella. Phantom. You are mine. I take care of what is mine." We looked him in the eye as he said the next part. "In a way, I'm yours, too."

He was claiming us. He was also allowing us to claim him.

_:He isn't lying.:_ Phantom said, dazed.

_:We're going to wake up and this will have been a dream.:_ I said realistically, totally unconvinced that this was reality. No actual-Vlad-Master's would proclaim himself as... as someone elses.

_Yes, it made sense. Yes, this was something Vlad would do_. This was lovely, but it had to be a dream.

Oh god. I didn't want to wake up.

"It is no dream, Daniella. I can promise you that."

I twirled to see Clockwork floating by the edge of my bed, on the complete opposite side of where Vlad was. His baby body floating closer to my face than Vlad was sitting.

_:How the hell do we not sense him?:_ Phantom demanded, as I tried to settle my racing heart_. :He's like a freakin.. A freakin-:_

_:Ghost.:_ I finished for him.

"Hello, Clockwork." Vlad greeted, seating himself a little closer to one of the four bedposts, nearer to our feet, so he could lean against it, very comfortably. He hadn't even batted an eyelash as the time ghost appeared.

"Hello, Vlad. Lovely day we are having here in the Human World, isn't it?" Vlad agreed briefly.

It shocked me more than most information I had just received. Vlad was acting around his Master like they were only friends… acquaintances, at the most, Master and Student. There was respect in both of their voices, and their eyes spoke volumes upon volumes of their agreement. Whatever the hell it was.

In the Ghost Zone, it was a popular thing to treat your slaves like crap (like Phantom and I had been expecting), especially if they were small and weak. If you didn't have strength, you were nothing. And here Vlad and Clockwork were, chatting like nothing was out of the ordinary. Master and slaves with a bond that really should have been illegal, and they made it look flawlessly easy.

_:What if-:_ I started.

_:-He's not lying?:_ Phantom finished.

The silence in our head was deafening. It was one thing to tentatively accept that Vlad was not lying to us about some things. But everything? This would take years to accept.

_:Should we try… to, you know… do like them?:_ I asked, observing the way the body language was more than relaxed.

_:We're in agreement then?:_ Phantom shot back.

"Daniella, how are you feeling?" Clockwork was asking me, and I was forced to acknowledge that I wasn't all there.

"Like I was beaten by a hoard of ghosts," I whispered, my mind still not accepting reality as being better than a dream. "And woken up after healing from the worst of it. How about you?"

Clockwork did not chuckle, but his eyes shone brighter. As if the response I had given him was the right one. Which was probably accurate, because of his whole 'able to see the past and the future' thing. And that thought unsettled me a bit. Knowing that he had already pretty much mapped out my actions.

Master of my Master is my Master.

"I am fine." Clockwork's voice was pitching between middle aged childish, giving it a really strange quality to it. "It is good that you are well enough to already be in such good humor. Other paths lead to… different things."

_:Funny wording of that, wasn't it?:_ Phantom chirped.

_:Shush.:_ I told him. _:Let's not start that up again.:_

"Then you have everything under control, correct?" Clockwork asked Vlad, who simply nodded. "Then I consider my visit well spent."

"Everything is as it should be."

And he was gone.

Ominous would probably be the word for how I felt after that.

Either that, or something all the more spooky. Something unspeakable. Unsettling.

"Daniella?" Vlad slapped me out of my thoughts, and I looked over to him. He was standing, already nearing the door.

"Phantom is here as well." I responded, knowing without a doubt that our two identities needed to be established.

"Of course," Vlad acknowledged, "Daniella, and Phantom,"

We both managed to nod in agreement.

"Are you well enough to take a look around. Maybe try a few exercises?"

I tried stretching my legs and arms, and they didn't seize up on me, so I nodded. Tentatively.

"Get dressed, then. There should be some things in the dresser." He ordered like it was second nature. "Come down after, and I'll give you a tour."

I nodded just as he closed the door, exiting and leaving Phantom and I alone.

_:The beginning of the end?:_ He questioned.

_:Or the end of the beginning?: _I responded before getting up to start on a routine that would become second nature in the next few months. Till forever?

My legs were weak and I felt unsteady, but I walked to the dresser and pulled out clothes. They were the extras I had stashed in my backpack. That fact made me feel a little better.

:_Well, at least I have my own clothes_.: I told Phantom lightly.

_:There's something going on.:_ Phantom answered instead. I was already pulling on the clean clothes, and enjoying the feel of freshness. _:Clockwork has always been mysterious and … not forward at all, but this was different.:_

_:What do you mean?:_ I asked, heart sinking a little. Not even five seconds alone and Phantom was already off. _:You think Clockwork has something up his sleeve? Besides the whole 'master of my master is my master'?:_

_:Yes.:_

_:And you got this how_?: I demanded.

_:I don't think I have ever seen Clockwork as excited as he was when he saw our mark… I mean, he never gets excited-:_

_:Phantom,:_ I interrupted_. :You're saying that he was acting differently than usual, and that makes him guilty of something other than wanting to have full control of both Halfas in the __entire__ world?:_

Phantom almost continued, but I stopped him.

_:Or maybe, Clockwork is acting like he has any other time. Mysterious and all knowing.:_

_:You know,:_ He said in response_. :You've got a point, __**but**__ I think that he wants us for something… else. I mean, if I was in control of two of the most powerful ghosts in the ghost zone, what would I do?:_

_:Make a pizza stand?:_ I said sarcastically, as I opened the door to step outside, into the cold September air of the house.

_:No. Take over the world.:_

_:We've already went over that. Vlad would-:_

Phantom interrupted, clearly and precise as I started down the stairs.

_:Yeah. But Vlad isn't Clockwork.:_

Phantom didn't say anything more.

Neither did I.

Because I didn't want to acknowledge the fact that he was right, and Phantom didn't want to push me any farther. So at an impasse, we met Vlad at the bottom of the stairs.

"Ready?" Vlad asked, and I knew instinctively he meant more than just for a tour.

He meant for life. For starting. For beginning.

Was I ready? Would I ever be ready?

_:No.:_

"Yes."

* * *

><p>And that ends the re-write! Okay. Well that's a bit of a lie. The epilogue is also going to be posted as well. :) But I... well I MAY be changing something rather big in the epilogue. Or rather, add more information that kind of changes the whole game so.. well.<p>

You'll just have to see.


	10. Epilogue: Waltz

Welp. Epilogue time! :) Just wanted to let you guys know - There is going to be a little-tiny tweak (WARNING I MEAN It's A KIND OF BIG HUGE TWEAK SO LIKE YOU MIGHT WANT TO READ THIS?) to this chapter from the original writing that kind of... Well it's going to change some things in the sequel so. Uhm. Yeah. Read carefully?

Also, this is a HELLA long chapter. I didn't mean for it to get so long and I should have divided up so that one of these parts was a chapter, but well... I'm an idiot and you all get more reading material :)

Have a good read!

:_WORD_: Inner thoughts

"WORD" Normal dialogue

"**WORD**" Command

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>**: Waltz **

* * *

><p><em>"I still would have pushed the button."<em>

**-~DP~-**

_Dodge. Shoot. Dodge._

Intangible. Invisible. **Hide**.

Stay still. Stay incredibly still.

_:We are found.:_

I snarled.

_:Run.:_

Dodge. Shoot. Dodge.

"Better, Phantom! Daniella!" The voice is strong. It bellows like a tubba. "Be more aggressive."

Phantom did not say anything to Vlad, except to pant and then launch a counterattack.

We'd made that mistake too many times to count. Trusting Vlad, that is. In training nothing was sacred. Not trust. Not anything.

Mistakes had been made. The kind that had cost us wounds and bruises. Whether it had been myself, or Phantom, Vlad was not kind when we tripped and fell. The training module did not shut down until we finished the program and any, and all, weapons continued to shoot until somebody was bleeding or we were downed. Even if we did not actually _bleed, _we definitely ached afterwards.

Our lesson seemed to always change, but there was one thing that has stayed constant through the weeks:

**No pain, no gain.**

It had been a painful lesson, but a lesson well learned.

That was how Vlad liked them, the duo found. He said that pain helped us remember.

After managing a shot of ecto-green plasma-blast towards the target - which just happened to be open (for once) - Phantom landed. The goal of the day being completed, Phantom found that being in the air was redundant. The main directive of the program was finished, after all.

"Finally!" Phantom sighed, sagging towards the ground. I couldn't help but agree as I rolled 'our' shoulder, trying to pop it back into place. We'd been bulldozed over by a canon ball.

The whirling of the machine as it shut down gave us both a sense of accomplishment.

I gave Phantom a pat on his shoulder, mentally, all while morphing back into one.

_:What level was that? Like seventy-four?:_ I asked, trying to get control of the mouth, which Phantom allowed after a moment of tussling. So my voice was heard. It echoed around the chamber softly, mixed between pants of breath, a wince, and the slap of feet as Phantom walked forward.

"Close little badger, sixty-five." Vlad said, in his own form of Plasmius swooping down through the window.

He had learned, early on, how to distinguish my voice and Phantom's voice apart. Even as he learned to distinguish between our two forms. Each of us, Phantom or I, and even the counterpart voices that came with them.

Vlad and I were more similar than Phantom and I had originally thought. Being pigheaded, calm in the face of drama, and willing to fight for freedom only a few of the similarities. The only difference between our own halfa form and his, was that fact of brain matter. Which, when you really thought about it, was the biggest difference anyone could think of.

"I'm impressed." Vlad continued as Phantom allowed me to take over as he rested his mind. A reward for a job well done. A nice little perk to training with Vlad was the fact that Phantom and I both no longer felt the need to voice our transformation, and now the rings slid over our body like water. Without ripple or strain.

I was human in less than five seconds.

"Only a few months, and you have already managed to exceed any and all expectations I've put on you. Well done."

Vlad praised with that smile that managed to literally make me feel faint. Feel as if I was on top of the world. Ready and willing to do anything for him. I was sure I would have walked on fire if he only asked it of me. Might have killed someone, too, if Vlad was the person to ask it of them both.

Anything was given to one's master. After all.

"Thank you," I said, bowing with a flourish.

Vlad pursed his lips, attempting to hide his continued smile. "**Bravo**."

I beamed, and was very, very glad that Phantom and myself had tried our level hardest in training. When either of us was in control of the body, anyways. It was nice to know that somehow we mattered. Mattered not just to ourselves. Mattered to Vlad.

Even if it was **only** to Vlad.

Occasionally Clockwork as well. Yet the Master of our Master was not very often in coming to the human realm. More often than not, we had to visit him.

Though Phantom and I tried our very hardest to make sure Vlad never knew what effect he had on us: Phantom had a feeling we were failing. Vlad was a smart cookie and he was **also **enslaved. It was silly to think he didn't know. Yet, there was a part of us, small as it was, that hoped he never knew. Never knew that the stupid mark literally made both of us want to do _anything to be right beside him_. To be the one that was praised, relentlessly.

As long as Vlad might not have as much as a clue, we would be fine. Phantom always scoffed at that thought, but I had to hold on hope that I wasn't _completely_ hopeless at hiding things. So I tried my hardest to smother that big smile that wanted to blossom over our face and be nonchalant about it. Like a fucking teenager should.

"When are we ever going to learn how to duplicate ourselves for more than three seconds?"

"Maybe next month," Vlad assured us, turning to his more human and refined look. Losing fangs and a cape in return for a business suit and tie. "For now, we still have much to discuss."

"Like what?" I asked, and Phantom backed me up all the way.

It was always disconcerting when Vlad did this. Discussed things. Dropped the ball of 'discussing' things. It wasn't always pleasant. There were very few rules Vlad forced us to follow through the bond. Three actually (if anyone was getting technical); Stay out of sight of humans when in ghost form, try their very hardest in lessons, and never_ ever_ disobey him.

The last was a technicality, because there was no way we could _disobey_ him. It came with the territory. Enslaved. Master. The relationship was moot.

"Like your very first 'mission'."

It took a minute for that to sink in, then we were beaming at at him.

"Really?"

_:Finally. I was wondering when he would...:_ Phantom said, relieved. With good reason.

I just got excited._ :Really and truly?:_

It was one thing that Vlad would tell us he trusted us, implicitly and without fail, but when he kept us locked up like fairy-tale princesses and princes, it was hard to believe it.

But a mission?

_:This shall be fun.:_

I mentally agreed and followed Vlad, as he told us exactly what would need to be done for him. What the mission would entail.

* * *

><p>All in all, it was rather tame.<p>

"What does it do, anyway?" I asked as I tossed the almost-like-a-regular-sized green, emerald egg upwards in an arc, using Phantom's body as he rested just beside her in the body. He'd been the one doing all the heavy lifting, so I was now on Vlad-talking duty.

Vlad snatched the egg before it could be recaptured in Phantom's palm. "Focuses energy. Now, please, it is not the time for games you two."

Phantom's body followed my command to the letter, which just happened to be sitting up as we all floated. I twisted around, flopped onto my belly in the open air and floated right behind Vlad as he flew ahead of me .

_:What's got him in a tizzy?: _Phantom asked, barely concealing his British accent. He had almost completely lost it by this point.

_:Didn't even tell us where we're going.:_ I said with a shrug, which Phantom felt more than saw. _:Then again, bet we could figure it out. That rock looks familiar!:_

Phantom was silent for a split second.

_:Think it has something to do with... Clockwork?:_

I ran my hands through my short hair, marveling at the difference a few inches could make between their bodies. _:Probably. It always does, nowadays.:_

_:Doesn't even bother you, does it?:_ Phantom sounded exasperated, but he wasn't. I could tell. He was too amused, really.

_:You feel me, Phantom, you tell me.:_

There was a pause, then Phantom scoffed.

_:Useless.:_

"Please, keep up," Vlad called from a good few paces ahead. His voice didn't have even an edge of a command to it, but I knew that he preferred when I was closer. Same with Phantom.

Well, they were one and the same, so it didn't matter which way.

"Coming!" I called as I sped forward and mimicked his easy-supermanesque pose as they both flew side by side.

They flew for a while, in relative silence. Well. Vlad had relative silence. Phantom and I both talked too much and never shut up. It was like a constant internal monologue, but sometimes without words, or emotions, just... things. Which was never fun to explain to other people. Namely Vlad. How to explain having two voices, people, in one body?

Neither of them ever could.

"So where're we going?" I finally asked as the silence on the outside got to me.

"Really Daniella?" Vlad chidded, a drawl. "You've been so many times and you still don't know the way?"

Clockworks it was then. Wonderful.

* * *

><p>Clockworks tower was invisible until you got past the threshold. Then after that, it was impressive.<p>

Like old stone work that should have fallen over decades ago, the stones of his tower held on by the grace of the ghost-zone alone. The ramparts jutted out, as if ready to simple fall over, but would never. The entire place was frozen. Bits of pieces of the tower were stopped mid fall - never able to reach the ground. Never able to collapse completely.

It was a place outside of time. A place where nothing should technically exist as it was.

It was wicked awesome.

"Is there a reason we're visiting Clockwork?" Phantom asked.

"Yes."

"Are you going to tell us?"

Vlad was amused, they could tell by the fact that he didn't snap his next words. "No."

It probably meant that Vlad had been requested. That was something Master's could do through Marks. A light burn could mean '_come at your convenience_' and a horrid burning sensation could mean that one was needed **urgently**. Or well, it wasn't a very sophisticated system. It was more of... one had to decided with your Master on the exact pressure needed on your Mark for certain signals.

Vlad had only set up two particular parameters for Phantom and I. Hot and cold. Level of pressure was level of urgency. Hot was needed by his side. Cold was stay away.

There would undoubtedly be more, later in our life, but for now it was all we needed to communicate. As their connection, their bond, became more established, it would get better too. Because then the emotion-sharing could happen. A simple thing that I was already used to with Phantom, but was completely terrified of Vlad getting in on it too.

Because... well, two was already a lot. What would it be like with having a third member in on their bond?

That might be a bit much.

I nor Phantom would deny Vlad, fortunately, but the thought of the future was a scary thing. Even something as far away as an emotional-tie bond. Those, apparently, only formed after a few decades of being together. Some had been quoted at happening in a few years time, but I had assumed they all were lying.

Ghosts did that, after all.

Getting into Clockworks tower was easy, especially since we had Vlad with them. The tower accepted all of them, Vlad, myself and Phantom, as servants of Clockwork and therefore wouldn't deny them without permission from the ghost himself.

So, it wasn't so weird walking up the stairs.

Walking up the same path as everyday. We had done it tons of time.

The images they saw in Clockworks magical portal-mirror thingie, however, were completely different. IN fact, it took them both a moment to catch on to what was in the magical ball that was usually turned 'off'.

The images were very... very weird. Upsetting, if I was honest with herself.

_:Is that... Amity?_: Phantom asked, his voice, even inside our mind, a whisper.

Holy shit. It was.

The pictures swirling in the reflective surface were of burning buildings. Of decimated places. Of a town that was nothing more than a husk. In each picture, there was a battle being waged. Ghosts and humans both tearing into each other. Weapons, so futuristic it seemed as if a movie, and ghosts new that I didn't that they could be real. Phantom only reminded me that Clockwork saw the future, the past. The present.

He didn't lie.

It was then that I realized, dizzily, that they were not just images. They were scenes. They _moved_.

The scene/pictures rotated, one after the other. Never the same one. At least... neither I nor Phantom thought they were. Each scene was as bloody, as war torn, as the last. They could have repeated.

Clockwork, a younger version of the old man, didn't seem as if he had noticed them, but he waved his hand and froze it on one frame.

We felt faint at the scene. My fists clunched and I nervously gulped as I couldn't take my eyes off the picture.

The picture was of Phantom, two of them, back to back, staring straight into Jazz Fenton's eyes as she held a gun between them. Held it straight to Phantom's forehead. The next frame could have been anything from her shooting to her pulling away to apologize.

:_I'm going to be sick_.: I said. Not feeling up to actually fulfilling my threat.

Phantom took over the body without so much as a word in edgewise. They were past petty things like body ownership at this point.

"What is that." Phantom said, staring at the picture, imprinting that one 'future' into his mind.

Jazz looked years older. Phantom looked timeless. His jumpsuit torn, ruined, barely covering his midriff. Neither of the Phantom's look particularly pissed, angry, or even surprised. Like it was a battle that had already lasted an eternity. As if nothing they could do would lead them away from this point. They glared, **glared**, at Jazz as the woman - _because that's what she was in the picture_ - loftily gazed down at them from her higher place.

A stone cold frown on her face and eyes expressionless.

"This is the future," Clockwork said. The ghost had a way of talking that had everyone leaning on his every word. Today was no exception. "Five years time."

I choked on the inside.

_:Five years?:_

Five years was nothing. That was no time at all.

"The war will have been started sometime in the next three years and four months," Clockwork continued, regardless of the now shifting images again. He shifted to the eldest man of his cycle. "Sometimes it starts a year earlier, sometimes a year later. Yet, the future is inevitable."

"Sir," Vlad said, his eyes hadn't left the images. "I thought we had more time?"

Clockwork nodded, sadly.

"We did. But something in the timeline has changed."

"And the outcome?"

Clockwork smiled, helplessly, as he transformed from a old man into a child, which made his next words even more haunting.

"The outcome **never **changes."

* * *

><p>It was later. Much later that day, after they returned from Clockworks. It had only been an hour since we had returned home, reeling. We had been called to deliver the egg. Nothing more.<p>

Yet what we had seen... well, what were they to do about it?

Phantom and I had discussed it, inasmuch as we could discuss something like that, before agreeing to go talk to Vlad about it. Clockwork had refused to tell us anymore, after all. He said it would possible change the way the timeline shifted. Which could be disastrous.

No matter how much that future sucked, it was still a future. Meddling in timelines destroyed things. People, even. Clockwork had made us swear, had made Vlad Command us, into never purposely altering the timeline that had already happened.

If it was serious enough that Clockwork was having his own slave command his slave to do something, then it was serious indeed.

:_What could be worse than __**that**__ future, though, Phantom?_:

Phantom didn't have a response for me.

It took us a little time to get the courage to go talk to Vlad.

Vlad was in the library. Sitting on one of the couches, a glass of wine in one hand and a book open to a page that hadn't been turned in a long time. Vlad was staring off into the distance, into the fire, listlessly, as if not seeing the way the flames reached and burned.

"Master?" Phantom said, getting Vlad's attention.

"Hmm?"

"We had some questions."

It was easy to push myself into the role of 'talker' after that. Easy to push the transformation to my own body, instead of Phantom's body. Because even if Phantom had ages on me, a kid, light years of knowledge shoved up in his brain, he had been running for most of his life. Being social was not his forte. I, on the other hand, was used to confrontation and fighting and simply... existing. Still better about being honest. About being pure. Even as I could never quite be as pure as I should have been, ever again.

"I thought you would." Vlad set his glass of wine down and beckoned the two of them forward. "Come. Sit. This may take a while."

I took the seat next to Vlad, leaving scant few inches between us, wanting to feel some kind of companionship to another person, besides the one living in my head.

"That future wasn't set in stone... right?" I asked after shakily breathing deeply. "Jazz... she doesn't do that in every future, right?"

Vlad could only shake his head. "As far as I know, no. That was one of the bad futures. One where choices and sides were taken. Jazz choose the humans and you choose the ghosts."

"So there is hope?"

"Of course," Vlad said, smiling as his eyes went back to the fire. His arm came up behind our head and I knew something was really wrong with me this time because I didn't feel at all flustered. Only felt comforted.

It was an easy step from there to take the open body posture as an invitation. To take my first step as something more than Marked property. I cuddled up to Vlad as if I'd done it every day of my marked life. As if it wasn't a compulsive thing. As if it wasn't desperately needed at the moment to keep the tears at bay.

Because, if I started to think about the future, about **that** future. I wouldn't say for positive if I would survive it.

"And this... ghost-human war? What's that about?" I asked before he could do much more than stiffen. "You mentioned it once before... I think."

"It is a long story, Daniella," Vlad said, body hard as a rock next to her. "But you deserve to know it... Did Phantom tell you any of it?"

"No," I shook my head into Vlad's neck. "Phantom was not a social ghost when he was by himself. He had never been marked, either. He didn't like... Other ghosts. Nor was he particularly keen on learning their histories, either."

"Ahh." My master said, before relaxing marginally as he noticed that I wasn't going anywhere.

"That explains your lack of knowledge over things." Vlad teased Phantom.

"Hey now," Phantom took control for a mere moment to say. Both of them smiling at the end of that.

"Then you, and Phantom, will both benefit from this,"

Vlad's hand fell down to my shoulders and he moved around only marginally, to get comfortable, before starting to talk.

"It starts with the beginning of time, as everything does. Only I do not know the beginning, only that ever seen the beginning, the world has required balance. Humans and ghosts are not meant to live side by side. Ever. Our physical makeup, ghosts that is, is vastly different than humans. Not to mention that ghosts are something that humans shouldn't even be able to see... Well."

He shook his head ruefully.

"It get's messy. Plus, humans continually put ghosts as the antagonists, which is just simply not the truth. There have been attacks on both sides of the fence since the beginning of ghost and human interaction. The ghosts have always been more playful and the humans always terrified. It's always been there, yet in recent years, with the development of new technology, the ghost world and the human world are now on a collision course."

I nodded, absorbing the information. I'd heard much of it before, afterall, in snippets.

Yet why was the world going in... **that** direction?

"The truth is... Well. Ever since your parents, Daniella, created the ghost-portal, things have been going downhill."

I quirked an eyebrow, staring into the fire, rather than looking at Vlad. "Why? What does the ghost portal have to do with everything?..."

I blushed as I remembered I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for the portal.

"You know besides the creation of me and Phantom as one being."

"Because, before their 'invention' there were only naturally occurring ghost-portals," Vlad's hand had begun to pet slowly down my arm. It was a warm gesture. An unconscious gesture. "Ghosts could never abuse the portals powers, because they were ever changing. But now. Now with a stable portal, humans and ghosts both can come and go."

He huffed a bitter laugh.

"Something nobody is ready for, I assure you."

"What's going to happen with it?"

"With a stable portal, attacks can not be launched with surprising success. The ghost king has already reported a number of small... invasions of a sort."

Phantom and I both jolted with that, pulling away to stare at Vlad. "You mean human's are actually going into the ghostzone?"

He nodded.

That was - That was suicide.

And as Vlad described the rest of the stupidity humanity was currently pulling out of their collective asses, it was easy to see that war would be coming, as Clockwork said, sooner rather than later.

Even as Vlad petered off from speaking, his voice a little hoarse, Phantom and I both refused to move. I had my head shoved into Vlad's neck. The warmth they were generating was keeping me toastier than I had ever been before. Or could remember being.

"And it's all going to go down, just like Clockwork says?" I asked.

"We still have our choices," Vlad said, his hand hadn't stopped moving in soothing circles for a long time and he didn't look up to letting up now. "The future is not set in stone. Jazz's future isn't set in stone."

He seemed to soften.

"Your future isn't set in stone."

That was all I needed to hear.

* * *

><p><strong>Months later<strong>

* * *

><p>It was February 9th.<p>

Early morning.

Coincidentally, my birthday.

The mansion was bustling with activity. The loud racket of the mansion turning into something living coming from the doors and windows. Yet Phantom and myself had just awoken. Not a big surprise. Most of the time, we were allowed the mornings to do whatever we wanted or deemed fit anyways. The nights we kept active and enjoyed sleeping in. Afternoons were reserved for Vlad exclusively. And even though it was beginning to inch closer to that time, it was looking to be a good day. A good day after a **long line** of good days. Something Phantom and I were still wondering about, to be honest.

I, and in fact both of us, felt like it shouldn't have lasted as long as it had. The peace that is.

It almost seemed as if we were in a dream. An old familiar scene from somewhere else.

Life at Vlad's was not… difficult more than abrupt and always changing. While staying the same. A set schedule but... everything moved. It was never the same, no matter how much it was.

At least, that's what I told myself.

Ever since Clockworks... we tried to not think about the future. It was easier if we just put ourselves in the moment. Doing whatever needed to be done to survive.

Admittedly, it wasn't much. Vlad was an easy Master. Never quick to anger or abruptly distant. He gave warnings. If we did something to make him react, it had to have been quite spectacularly stupid.

The only thing he continued to do, was keep things from us. Vlad not telling us things was a norm I would rather break. He point-blank refused to give us any information on Amity, nor would he allow us to search the information out ourselves. It was even Commanded.

It was enough for us that we knew it was my birthday, the dates even being kept from us for the most part.

_:Stop thinking so much, Danni. We have more important things to do than think!:_ Phantom scolded me, floating in our Core and trying to convince me to go flying.

Yet again.

For the fourth time in a minute. Which was impressive, granted, with how many words he managed to get in one sentence.

:_Like flying?:_ I asked exasperated, braiding a lock of my hair. Looking at the clock quickly, I assured myself of the time. Almost noon thirty.

_:Yes!:_ Stated Phantom with a passion he was getting better and **better** at communicating.

It was really endearing how he managed to be like that. Childlike, but also so very posh.

:_No._:

I was only saying no because Vlad had told _us specifically_ not to do anything weird without his permission, today.

Today. Of all days he had to put a limit on us. I sighed dramatically but finished the braid.

:_Come on._:

:_No._:

It **was** hard to say no to Phantom, especially when we were closer than ever. Mentally anyway.

Over the long months at Vlad's, we, the both of us, had slowly started the agonizing process of becoming one mind. Which took long hours out of our day. Long hours hunched in an uncomfortable position and head aching at the end of it all. The rewards were many, but at the time after we finished our sessions, we would just as soon had shot ourselves in the foot.

The concentration it had taken was more than either of us had ever been willing to expend, but it had been worth it.

We were proud to admit that we both had made great progress. Enough that we literally didn't have to _think_ about what we wanted as two individuals anymore. We were still pretty selfish, for ourselves. Somehow, we were still separate, but it didn't matter most of the time. It mattered when it mattered, but when it didn't...

Well. We were more _one_ than two, anyways.

At most moments.

Confusing? Yes, it was.

Phantom and I made decisions as one. The first one being that there would be no indecision.

Every so often the tingle of unease over an arguable opinion flickered, but it was quickly stomped out until we **both** had more time to talk about it. It didn't mean we didn't like to talk it out every now and then, though. Just that we had almost an agreement of what our next movements would be. It was still touch and go, but we were fine. It would all be fine.

We had a schedule, afterall. It was a nice schedule, too.

For the first half of the day, I was in control implicitly and Phantom for the other half. Sometimes, we switched it around if Phantom was feeling particularly vindictive. Or vice versa. Or if one of us needed more head-space time to tire out or work through some things: It always would even out. Because if one of us got more 'free time' the other got it too. Just at a later time.

:_Now?_:

_:We can't.:_ I muttered, remembering that Phantom didn't like taking no for an answer over his favorite subject. Flight. _:Remember? Orders?:_

It was almost one in the afternoon, though, and Vlad had promised us _something_ in return if we were good little ducklings. Which we both had been. Perfect angels, really. No terrorizing the staff, or visiting the library without permission. Or the lab. We had sat on our behinds and had some good old fashion meditation, after some good old fashioned sleep. Danni-and-Phantom time.

But...

Vlad had this misguided view that I would try and make our way back home if he didn't order me not too. Which was partially true. But that could be said on any given day. And it **wasn't** to get away from Vlad, but to see Jazz.

Vlad didn't think we were ready to be released into the wild yet.

Understandable as it was, we didn't like it.

_:I remember our… orders.: _Phantom huffed the word. I was reminded of the sour taste of lemons and pushed aside Phantom's dislikes that was showing through._ :Doesn't mean I don't want to try and test them, though.:_

I rolled my eyes. Phantom was such a child.

My child, granted, but still.

_:Good luck with that.:_ I snorted_. :You go split off and have a fun day. I'll either be sleeping... or…:_

This was the truly baffling part. Wasn't it? What to do if not have Phantom?

_:Well, I don't know. What do you think Vlad's got planned for me?:_

_:You've gotten tame in your new life.: _Phantom accused me, teasingly.

_:And, that's a bad thing?:_ I retorted, already taking enough of his crap for it being so 'early'. And I **had** already showered, which made Phantom want to escape _even_ more. The force of being under the spray of water always made Phantom go a bit crazy in the head.

_:Not really.:_

It was then, as Vlad was known to have impeccable timing, that he appeared.

"Daniella, are you up -" Vlad came into the room without knocking, per usual. I had actually **just** pulled on jeans, minutes before. Shyness was not a strong point for me anymore, either way. I had long lost my modesty when Phantom and myself had started running.

There were only so many places to change in the woods. Or alleys. Or buildings.

Little known fact: McDonalds can practically smell homeless.

"Oh, You're up. Good. Good. Dressed, too." He smiled before looking around as if to see if there was something he was missing. "Isn't this a surprise?-"

"It's almost one in the afternoon." I said, deadpan.

Vlad raised one of his eyebrows, looked out the window as if to say 'oh-well-lookit-that' before turning back to us without a word.

:_Flight_.: Phantom demanded before taking control to fling our body at him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, Phantom pouted upwards. Myself nor Phantom had tried this tactic to get what we wanted in a while, seeing as it had failed disastrously last time. But it was my birthday today, and we were in my body, what could it hurt?

"Can I fly?" The voice that came out was the perfect imitation of my own but it was all Phantom. It interrupted whatever else Vlad was about to say. Interrupted just as Phantom opened 'her' eyes impressionability wide, and tried 'her' very hardest to pout.

Vlad didn't so much as blink, and instead huffed out a smile, pulled her gently off himself and walked towards the window. A shake of his head following.

:_Drat.: _Phantom said, giving back the control I had lost._ It hadn't worked_.

:_**No duh.**_:

I was about to ask what Vlad was looking at, but knew it was redundant. Because I already knew. Vlad was having a new garden installed. Our room, more mine than Phantom's sometimes, was the perfect vantage point to oversee the entire landscape of his backyard. This was the first time Vlad had switched the gardens since we had arrived. I only knew this because he had told us only a week ago.

A new garden every third of a year. He'd said. Or well, some of the plants anyway. A lot of the bigger foliage stayed, but the smaller things didn't.

Phantom thought Vlad might be falling into our pull of adorableness, so Phantom paid more attention to him. Pulling her eyes even more wide.

"Phantom is getting restless, I take it?" Vlad chuckled instead of giving in, not even the slightly bit perturbed by my 'puppy dog' eyes.

"Or was it Phantom in control?" It was a question, and I answered it with a nod.

:_Traitor.: _He growled._ :Body before Hottie.:_

:_Body before Hottie?_: That's a new one.

_:Sounds better than keeper-of-my-soul before Master.:_

I chuckled, trying not to allow it to spill into the real world. :_Touche.:_

Phantom practically yanking the reins to our joined body out of my hands. But he was stopped more by the 'orders' of Vlad than anything. The silent but hard edge to Masters eyes made both of us stop their shenanigans.

"Later today, you may, but we have many things to do still."

Phantom and I both groaned, pout leaving and face falling, knowing semi-instinctively that this meant bruises might be present at the end of whatever was to come. And brain-strain. Maybe even brain damage. And a lot of things I just didn't want to do or think about.

It was my birthday, damnit. Why couldn't Vlad back off?

"Training?" I asked. Surprising me, he only shook his head with a chuckle and beckoned them over, giving nothing away.

"Come along, little badger."

So, of course, we followed. And not exactly because we wanted to finally get out of our room, but because there was a small tugging in my Core. The sign that this was more than a little suggestion, but an order. Orders were all powerful in Phantom and my own life. Orders meant no longer asking. It should have been rude, but he was master. Our lives pretty much _orbited_ Vlad's now.

Sometimes, Phantom wondered if Vlad even knew he did that. The whole 'soft spoke words' that make Phantom and me, his partner in crime, want to tear space and time to complete the task associated with it… and everything else. Of course. I wondered, too, if he knew the effect his presence had on us. At all hours of the day. At every waking moment. On the jitters. On the mind-blankness that sometimes came with it. And if he did, I and Phantom wished, desperately, for him to never bring it up.

Following Vlad was an experience, though. Neither could deny that. In both senses of the word. Literally and figuratively.

Vlad was... Well. How does one describe a Master like Vlad?

Literally, as in right now, he was so careful with his every move. Always planned. Precise. He knew exactly what he was doing. Exactly where he was doing it. Unruffled. The only one able to ruffle his feathers was Clockwork, and even then he had to work at it. The time in the tower, all those months ago, was only one of the times they had seen Vlad lose his cool.

Another had been during the prank-war of February. Where Clockwork and Vlad had traded well times 'blows' using their 'assets' as they were. With blows being silly and offhanded pranks and assets being their 'minions'. Namely Phantom and I.

It had been lighthearted, whereas the images of Jazz could never be quite as tame. It had been nice, where the images of Jazz hurt.

I was intensely grateful that Vlad never brought up the future, except when necessary, and kept me busy. The ending of the war had been amusing though, with Clockwork managing to somehow put every kind of office-supplies Vlad had in the house into some kind of gelatinous substance. Jelly. Peanut butter. The works.

It had put a mighty dampener on the image in our head of never-defeated-Vlad standing over his desk in a daze as he watched his stapler float in blue jell-o.

Figuratively following Vlad was… scary at times. It had been a few months back that Phantom and I had both decided that things could only get worse if we didn't accept our situation. Fully. So it was only logical, really, that we had decided to give in. A huge decision that had not made lightly.

But it had been made.

Almost been pushed on us with the whole rules instilled in our heads.

And for all their pussy-footing around, both of them were much more… satisfied.

Now that it had been a semi-choice of their own. Giving in that is. It was easier to follow Vlad in to the training room. When he sent us out on small little missions to steal something insignificant, just to see if they could, we also accepted that as part of the equation. Phantom's and my own hearts, actually for once, in the right place.

The equation of slavery which was turning out to be something a little more than was bargained for though... that was still be decided upon.

What that was… we still didn't quite know.

The part of slavery that just had to dealt with was the instilled obedience. The almost constant pang of 'need' to make sure Vlad was happy. I, there-by-addition Phantom, felt almost… in love with Vlad. He, the ghost half of our duo, was a little more disturbed by this, mostly because he was a macho-man. I used to giggle at the image of Phantom making googoo eyes at Vlad, but now that it was an actual option - it was agreed, by both parties, that it was not needed.

We didn't joke about things like that.

_:Could we call it loyalty? Forced loyalty?:_ Phantom asked, once. Before total commitment to the cause.

A cause that was still a little on the fuzzy side. Ghost war and all withstanding.

_:In our heads, we can call it whatever we want.:_ I had responded.

"Whatever are you and Phantom talking about this time?" Vlad questioned, looking over his shoulder as he walked. Shoulders straight, arms behind his back, pace even and unprovoked. This pose was used to convey that he knew exactly what was going on. Nothing was out of control. Somehow that was calming.

Who knew that having everything dictated in my life would be so comforting?

"Nothing."

He gave me a skeptical look.

"Not Phantom. Phantom's sulking. I was just… thinking." I was quick to assure him.

"About?" Vlad pressed, the clicking of his expensive shoes rhythmic.

"Life."

"Yes?"

"Life here, anyway. How things have changed. How Phantom and I have changed." I admitted, knowing that he was just curious and not pressing. 'Pressing voice' was a little more aggressive. And I would have been spilling my guts, singing like a canary, if Vlad had really wanted to know. Or if Vlad had given even a smidgen of a smile.

The sound of his shoes tapping the tile was all we heard for a little bit after that confession. Vlad was very used to giving space. Phantom and I had both pleaded for it.

"I see." He said as they reached the stairs. He stopped before going forward, which made me almost crash into him. It was the easiest course of action to back up a few paces, stand silent, and watched for his reaction.

"Sorr-" I started before being interrupted.

"And how have you changed?"

Vlad turned around to look me in the eyes.

I found I couldn't meet his eyes. Part of the stupid obedience that we had embraced was the submission aspect. Almost primitive in its insistency to never meet his eyes. It was not new, but it was a relatively powerful instinct.

"I don't know." I muttered, feeling self-conscious, a hand was rubbing unconsciously at the marking that was on our forearm. It prickled. The forearm that was always to be left bare. Another order that they both minded only slightly. I was more prickly about their 'badger'.

Then again, what sixteen-now-seventeen-year old wants to have her skin irreparably marked?

_:You do too know,:_ Phantom snorted. Totally disregarding my side-thoughts on the badger cub.

_:Yes. But I don't want to tell __**him**__ that…:_

_:I can see why.:_

_:We may have gotten far in these few months. He may be the best master we could ask for... but he's still something I never would have chosen for myself.:_

Phantom was understanding of that at least.

"This has all been rather overwhelming for you. Hasn't it?"

I blinked, breaking my bodies own rules and looking up. Vlad was watching the actions of my body carefully. As if to see if I would break over his words.

"It's been... different," I said, admitting to herself, too. "Better and worse in some things. New. Old. It's been... longer than a year since I have been home. It is just. Strange to think about everything that has changed."

Oh boy had it ever been.

Vlad sighed.

"You do realize the aspects of the bond we have makes it nearly impossible to think anything against me, correct? You _know _I know that, correct?"

Both of them were startled by the way he said that, enough so that I actually looked into his eyes. I had been looking at his face before, but now we were staring at each other. A mistake I nor Phantom made lightly. They were deep and dark, Vlad's eyes, like the first time we had ever met. They were also curious. Mostly dark though.

"Right." We both whispered, voice wavering as we both echoed each other. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans. To hide the shaking. "I knew that."

"And the overwhelming need to take every one of my suggestions out of context and obey?" Vlad continued, as if just realizing that he had never covered those basics with us. "That is also normal. You are young, too, which makes even trying to disobey your own body impossible... Am I right?"

So he did understand. Or at least, knew that he did it.

"Yes."

My throat closed slightly, my body warning me of something. I was a quick study and caught on fast. Eyes lowering, I spoke what I had missed.

"... Sir."

Vlad took a moment, watching before nodded, looking out towards the patio, just outside the front door at the bottom of the stairs.

"I understand. You should know I understand." He finally said after everyone at the top of the stairs watched a pair of birds fly past the window repeatedly.

Vlad did understand, I knew, somewhere in my mind I knew it to be true, but it was hard to admit that we all were in such similar positions. Especially as I was on the bottom of 'our' food chain. they all had someone to command, whereas I was just commanded.

He turned to us.

"I wish I could alleviate some of your fears that I know you have, Daniella... Phantom. But it never goes away."

Vlad was always poised. It was something both Phantom and I could agree about the man on. Yet, at this moment, he didn't look so closed off. He looked like he had all those months ago, in the library, when I had broken down and demanded comfort by proximity.

Jazz flashed across our eyes, before Phantom or I could stop it.

"Even now, twenty-some-odd years later," Vlad said, ignorant of their thoughts. "I can't fight it any more than I could when I was young. But you do have the upper hand in that you've accepted me. Whereas, I did not accept Clockwork. Not for a long, long time."

That was news to us.

Phantom and I both reeled with wide eyes.

:_Vlad hadn't always been so obedient?:_

_:Wow.:_

_:Now that's news.:_

How had that gone down then?

_:I mean. It made sense.:_ In that weird not-really-making-sense kind of way. Vlad was a controller. We knew that from personal experience, so it made sense that having Clockwork, the master of time, would be trying. It was kind of… depressing in a way. First for the fact that Vlad had known, but hadn't elaborated; and secondly because this was the first time we had ever talked about it.

Even though he had known.

_:Were we that obvious?:_

_:I like to think not... but probably?:_

But Vlad wasn't trying to be mean, or cruel about his knowledge. Quite the opposite. He was genuine in his speech. He was teaching us. Something he loved to do, and that I was only now seeing as that. As that love of not being a Master but of being useful. Vlad knew that this could potentially save them trouble in the future, save the both of them sleepless nights, save them from something on the inside, rather than outside.

And it was the thought that truly counted. Right?

That was one thing that had become increasingly obvious - Blaringly even:

**Was that loyalty could go both ways.**

We were tied irrevocably to Vlad, but so was Vlad to them. Just in a slightly… different way. They had a bond that could not be broken. Would not. The Ghost-king had made sure of that.

Vlad was a very… honorable man, too, when it came to ghosts. To them. To Clockwork.

Humans, he was underhanded and even vicious to. He cared not for their practices because they lived short lives and tried everything in the books to win while losing. With ghosts he was also somewhat vicious and cunning, but there was something more. He had something to prove to ghosts. There was something more to ghosts.

Somewhere along the line of ghost and human, he had decided that if he was going to be forced into a culture, he was going to embrace it. And he did. He lived, breathed, and was ghost. Something he had never told the two in front of him, sure, but we had just accepted that as some knowledge we were not gifted to know

Phantom whispering all of Vlad's secrets to I, helped also.

_:Kind of hard to imagine for you, isn't it?:_ Phantom asked, and I nodded, quickly zoning back into Vlad.

"- Even when Clockwork spontaneously shows up after leaving me alone for years," Vlad was saying. "Tells me that I have a chance the chance to do something important in history, and basically uses me as a pawn. There are few feelings as amazing as knowing that your Master is happy."

Vlad closed his eyes as if remembering that sensation. His smile pulled on his lips and we both felt our heart soar, stutter, even if it wasn't Vlad himself that was forcing our heart to feel this way. Even if it was the bond, more than anything.

And it _was_ true. What Vlad was saying.

Ever since the branding, there were few things Phantom or I loved more, or wanted more, than a smile from Vlad. Acknowledgement from Vlad. I had found that out on the second day of being awake. When Vlad had come walking in with a smile on his face, and had almost drowned mein the need to keep it there.

It was half the reason why they both acted like such an idiot, tried for a laugh, or even just allowed Phantom to do something crazy. Why I tried my very hardest in training.

I guess, if I had to, that I just didn't quite realize what our mind had been telling our body, at least unconsciously. Or had, but chose to ignore the implications.

"True or not?" Vlad asked, turning towards me for the first time.

_:Oh, sure. Now he looks at us.:_ There was no fire behind my words.

Vlad had looked at me, turned to me, tons of times, but never like this. This was special.

This was different in a way that was all too palpable and all too real.

If anyone asked me what the most emotional, the most real, moment in my life was, to date, I would have to say this moment. Right here, with Vlad having a heart to heart with me and Phantom. At the top of his elegant stairs, as the noon sun forgot it was supposed to be somewhere else.

A random heart to heart, not at all planned.

Because we were the only three people in the entire world that knew what it felt like to be both human and ghost, to be marked by someone of a higher power than them, and the only ones to be unique as we were. To each other and to the world.

"True." Not quite realizing that my voice had turned into that neutral tone taken when both Phantom and myself agreed on something so completely that there was little else but our agreement; I craned my neck downwards. Little of their differences whether it be gender, agenda, or plans came in between. Everything that was in the two of them agreed, and it showed.

* * *

><p>In our agreement, curiosity seeped into a large hole in our stomachs, demanding answers.<p>

"We have some questions... could you... would you be willing to answer them?"

Vlad didn't exactly relax, but he was less tense. "You may ask whatever you need to ask."

"It's been... bothering the both of us for a while now," I began before just coming right out with it. "Why does the Ghost King control everyone through the Marks? Surely there must be a better way than… something so primitive?"

Since the two of us weren't quite allowed to transform between forms in the presence of 'humans' that Vlad employed, Phantom took over from there. We had an agreed, after all, that mouth was public domain. 'They' was myself, Vlad, and Phantom. It rarely ever excluded Vlad these days.

"It seems stupid. To us."

"In the lab, if you please." Vlad said, already starting his trek towards the lower levels. He straightened minutely, and whatever little moment we had had was currently over. At least, until we all reach the basement.

It takes five minutes to walk from the room given to us, to the kitchen, and then another five minutes to the basement. Where there were enough security precautions that took five minutes themselves to get through.

If we had been allowed to fly, it would have been a different matter. Five minutes tops.

But Vlad hadn't allowing us to, so it took us the required fifteen minutes.

_:Bloody stupid if you ask me:_ Phantom said.

_:Nobody asked you, did they Phantom?:_ I responded, walking into the lab, following closely at Vlad's heels. _:And when did you become British? Well... Again?:_

It was no secret that Phantom had almost completely phased out his 'british' accent, but it was now back.

_:About the same time we watched that movie about the teenage spy.:_

_:You mean Alex Rider?:_

Phantom was silent and I knew that it was true.

I snickered_. :Fictional character, and you have to put yourself in his shoes?:_

_:Shut it, sweetheart.:_

In the lab, Phantom felt claustrophobic. By extension, I did too. And not just because Vlad used some of their blood for more… unsavory purposes. The whole lab screamed science, and had a distinct odor to it that made the both of us question animal shelter's integrities.

But it wasn't worth it to dare to question Vlad. Or **his** integrity.

_:He'd probably have our heads…:_ Phantom supplied helplessly.

"You wanted the reason for the Ghost Kings control, correct?" Vlad asked as he sat in a chair nearest to a pile of goop in a tube, barely molecules at the moment. I tore my eyes away from it and nodded.

Vlad giving them information was rare and priceless. A gift that was worth its weight in gold.

As for the whole marking thing, Phantom and I could only figure out that it was the best way to control everyone, but it still didn't change the fact that ghosts could, technically, rise up and challenge him. It didn't change the fact that Clockwork and a number of other ghosts could rise up and attack and win.

So why hadn't they?

"I," Vlad sighed, crossing his arms and his ankles. "I've told you it is all about power."

"Well. We know that," Phantom responded, using my mouth again, sounding like himself. "It doesn't change the fact that mutiny and uprising should happen sometime… right?"

I took back over to say, "That war should be present… Especially with a system so… so fickle."

"Usually." Vlad corrected. "But they are ghosts, Phantom, and as ghosts they live longer and have more to 'live' for. They are usually satisfied with what they are given. Follow whoever is put up to follow. Considering the Ghost King is much, much more powerful? You've got a concoction of people unwilling to fight for anything else. They aren't human. They don't get the morality of fighting a losing battle."

Phantom bristled slightly.

"Yeah, well I'm not human, and I think this way… so why haven't other ghosts banded together?"

"Phantom," Vlad said, slightly exasperated. "You share headspace with a human."

He stated this like it was the most blatant fact in the world, which it was, but there was something more. Phantom was silent as he listened.

"As far as the other ghosts know, or are concerned, you aren't fully like them. And it's true. You have been… I would guess ghosts would call it 'tainted', with human. You think like a hybrid. You are a _hybrid_. And to us, the world has to make sense twice. For ghosts, once. For humans once. But for us? It **has **to be twice."

Phantom kind of recoiled at that, and stuffed himself into the farthest part of our conscious. Thinking. I heard everything, all of it, and it was mostly mulling over Vlad and how truthful he was being. Phantom was thinking about how his thought process had changed over the year. With the mind merge that had happened between us.

The poor ghost was currently in shock, finally seeing just how much my mind had changed his. From vocabulary to thought progression. To actions to weaknesses.

"What do you mean twice?" I asked, instead of allowing the silence to stretch on for longer than was allowed. Five seconds max, if I could help it.

"Humans have gravity, science, social norms, and peer pressure." Vlad said. "Ghosts have a King, slavery, laws that do not bind our physical forms, and a second chance at life. As hybrids, we understand both of those worlds, which should be impossible."

"How impossible?" I demanded.

"There is a reason humans can't get their heads around ghosts being sentient and alive. Because in all rights, ghosts shouldn't be. " Vlad shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "They do not follow human law; therefore they are above the law. And things that are above the law…"

Vlad stopped, rolled a thought around on his tongue before looking the both of them in the eye, before posing his question.

"What do you think happens to them?"

"Humans fear the unknown," Phantom answered dutifully with the shared mouth, coming back from the dark place of separation. "Or rather the strength hidden in the unknown. So… they get destroyed."

Vlad nodded.

"But then, why don't they… why haven't they killed each other, yet?" I asked, taking control back from Phantom's iron clad grip. He was getting really touchy about giving up control these days.

"Ahhh that, my little badger, is the beauty of two different worlds," Vlad didn't really smile, but he did rise to walk around. Pace, really. With his hands behind his back. "Technological gaps that mean the difference between a war and something much worse. Much, much worse."

"Ghosts are hard to kill. Humans mostly just piss them off. Humans are easy to kill, but ghosts have no motivation to kill them. For the most part they remember what it feels like to die, and in a way, it's a limbo that could be tilted at a moment's notice."

Vlad snorted as he lost his train of thought to something else. His face was hard.

"It doesn't help that ghosts like it more when they can feed off the negative energy associated with fear and anxiety that humans are ripe with. A dead human gives a ghost nothing, except more competitions for the humans that are alive."

That was strangely a… pessimistic thought. Vlad didn't have many of those. Or rather he didn't share it.

"So it's just stupid dumb luck that the humans haven't done something so thoughtless that they end up getting themselves destroyed?" I asked, continuing my train of thought with, "Like say… capture a high ranking ghost and destroy them? Or even… just destroy a mass quantity of ghosts?"

"That's right." Vlad nodded. "And in the state the two worlds are in, war could be coming at any time. Just as Clockwork has said."

He looked decades older than, as he said that.

Vlad looked us over carefully.

Something flashed in his eyes. I could guess that it was most likely a sort of dark knowledge given to him by Clockwork - that he had been forbidden to talk about.

"Another time." Vlad said instead of allowing us our questions, getting up. "We have much to do today."

"But-" I stuttered, intent on getting to the end of the matter today.

"Not now." Vlad commanded, his voice piercing directly through our chest. Immediately my chin fell to my collarbone and I lowered my eyes. Submissive. It was more of reaction to his voice than anything. Yet it _was_ a reaction.

Knowing I would not be getting any more from him I also rose, slower, and keeping eyes downward.

"What shall we do today?"

"You told me once that you and Phantom had managed to split into two bodies," Vlad stated, making Phantom wonder what he was going to do about it. "Correct?"

"Correct." We answered in our neutral tone. Total agreement.

"Look up when I am talking." Vlad ordered softly. I tensed momentarily, hoping this wasn't one of his power trips.

It wasn't, thank God.

Both of us looked up to see Vlad back to being mostly good natured. Still stiff as a board, yet he wasn't as 'hard-eyed'.

Vlad smiled and I immediately had to steel myself so she didn't step back. Smiles were one thing, and smirks were another. And we both knew which one we would rather have. Because one spoke of a promise and other of a reward.

"Today, you have me for the entirety of four hours to perfect your ability to split into two." Vlad said it as one would say to their student. "By the end of the day, if you haven't already figured out the best way to do it, we will try again in a week. As of six thirty this evening, the gardens are also open to you and Phantom. The help has been ordered to stay away."

My mouth dropped open. Only it wasn't just I who had allowed the action.

Vlad had offered us many lessons, but never had he actually tried teaching us how to split, or teleport. Nor had we been allowed to do it. Something about our minds being too fragile in the state they had been in. Which basically meant that Vlad hadn't wanted us splitting and then getting lost in the feeling of being two people and never returning.

The latter being an impossibility. Phantom and I now understood that it would have been detrimental to our very lives.

Being two people in the same body, fighting all over again like it had been in the first month: it was not something either of us wanted.

"Do you accept?" Vlad asked, eyebrow raised just the slightest bit and a smile pulling at his lips. Genuine, this time.

"I was born ready." We stated, and somehow it felt right when Vlad used that expression at them. It made it easy to forget him ordering us around like toy soldiers. "And thank you. For the time today. And for the garden."

He nodded once, sharply.

"Then let's, shall we?"

Vlad lead the way and our day then consisted of the promised training.

_:Not so bad.:_ Phantom said.

_:Not so bad at all.: _I repeated.

* * *

><p>The world was going to be okay. Never perfect. Never wonderful as it could have been, but fine. They would never know what it would be to be free again, but at least with this - with Vlad - it didn't feel so chained. They didn't feel so attached.<p>

Or they were attached, but it was to Vlad. And they were both okay with that. It was accepted at this point.

We had a large cage, a place to sleep, and a place to call home. A life that would be full of excitement. And we were also granted a Master that was not cruel, a friend - each - who could never (nor would ever) leave us, and it wasn't so bad.

Phantom and I stood, one in front of the other, gazing at each other for the first time outside of a mirror. The tears hadn't started yet, the exhaustion hadn't set in, nor had I and Phantom truly begun to believe this was real.

Still, I said:

"If I had known pressing that button in the ghost portal would bring me to this point, right here, standing and focusing on splitting you and myself, for a limited amount of time. So we could face each other, see each other for the first time in forever."

"Yes?"Phantom asked.

"I **still **would have pushed the button."

They were inches from each other, their thoughts dulled, not quite as sharp as always, but Phantom launched himself forward to crash me to him in a hug.

:_And I would not have flown the other way._:

* * *

><p>The time in the garden was amazing.<p>

Vlad had kept his word and managed to allow the two of them two hours in the almost sunny skies, before the dark fell across the Wisconsin landscape. At about seven-fifteen, the sky had started to darken, but Phantom didn't care. The wind was his friend, the expansion above them their domain.

And for the first time, I meant _theirs _as physically and mentally as possible.

Danny Phantom and I 'Phantom' flew around, trying and succeeding to hold our minds separate as we flew next to each other. Two Phantom's in the sky. An oddity, but one that neither one of us would trade for the world.

_:It's not so bad.:_ I told Phantom as we each sat on a tree limb, looking out over the garden towards the mansion. And I meant it just as I said it.

Life wasn't bad. It was pretty good. They had little to be unhappy about.

_:No.:_ Phantom responded, in agreement. _:It is not.:_

The night ended much like any other would. With the birds settling down for the night, with the stream in the far corner of Vlad's property running, and with the quieting of the world making room for the darker sounds.

And they were quite happy to sit and wait for Vlad to order them back inside. If he dared.

:_Happy Seventeenth Birthday to me, huh?_:

* * *

><p>I hope you guys enjoyed! Sequel to be re-written and added too as well!<p>

Also, remember to **favorite** or **follow** the 'original' Tango and the Sequel FoxTrot because this story will not be available after February 1s, because having duplicate stories up on the same site is against 's rules.

Thank you all! Hope to see you as I rewrite FoxTrot!


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